selenak

I just realized I never posted the photos I've been meaning to from my September trip to Southern Tyrolia. The APs and I spent a week there, our first time abroad this year for obvious reasons, and as ever enjoyed the beautiful landscape. We also en route visited Brixen for the first time. Now I did share some Southern Tyrolia pic before, but that was many years ago, and besides, beauty bears repetition, so, enjoy:

That was the Castle Tirol, situated above Meran(o). There's also a village Tirol(o), next to and directly beneath the castle, which looks like this:

In the last decade, special situations excepted, the APs and I were there every time for a week in September, because, let's face it, it's earthly paradise, the hiking opportunities are awesome, and the food melts in your mouth.

My absolutely favourite hiking path takes you from Tirol(o) to the much, much higher located Vellau, and from there downwards a bit to the other end of the valley where there is a village called Partschins, and then to the Partschins waterfall. Have a few impressions from the way. This is the view from Vellau downwards:

Then, moving on to the Partschins direction, you see the valley a bit closer:

This is Partschins:

Above Partschins, you can walk along a Waalweg, which is something very typical for Southern Tyrolia - paths along water channels that were and are used in order to secure water for all the vines and apple trees. They're usually fairly easy to walk on, and the one above Partschins is one of the prettiest:

Once you've reached the end of this hiking path, you've also arrived at the Partschins Waterfall, which might not be comparable to the likes of the Niagara falls but for Europe is fairly impressive.

Now, about Brixen: this is somewhat more in the north than Meran(o), but still Southern Tyrolia, i.e. Italy post WWII. It used to be one of the wealthiest dioceses, and you can tell, walking through it. The monastery on the outskirts alone isn't exactly modest. Pretty, though. (That's the story of the counterreformation architectural choice in a sentence.)

Courtyard:

It even has its own Castello d'Angelo:

But really, the ecclesiastical building Brixen is most famous for is a specific part of its cathedral. First, the cathedral:

And now the frescoes at the nave. Which, gosh. What can I tell you? Oh, right, one thing: this is how a great many of those white walls in current day ecclesiastical buildings you see now used to look:

Gotta credit one of the old Bishops of Brixen, though, this gent, one Georg Golser. When in 1785 one of the most sinister characters of church history, Heinrich Institoris, future author of the Malleus Maleficarum, showed up armed with a papal bull ("Sumnis Desiderantes") and did what would become the usual creepy thing (this was right at the start of the Renaissance witch persecution), the bishop not only pushed for a sentence of innoce for the accused but kicked Institoris out of his dioceses, declaring him a a nutter in a letter. Mind you, that this one guy did the right thing only highlights how many did not, but still: he did!

For a rousing finale, I give you the sunrise over the valley: