Sunday, September 15–

Mass in Brunico, South Tyrol, Italy

Chiesa di Santa Maria

Mass was all in German; all-male adult choir, all wearing gray sleeveless insulated vests, all standing the whole while behind Celebrant, on the Altar.

Six altar servers, most were girls

Breakfast in Brunico at Cosmos

Linder torte with real, unsweetened whipped cream, plus macchiato coffee

Heard some people speaking Italian here

Bolzano, South TYROL, Italy

Lots of restaurants/cafes, hotels, and shopping venues, mix of old and new construction, definitely a larger city than the area’s other hillside/mountain clusters. More populated, more people about, more spread out…. Some establishments were closed for Sunday.

Artsy, dedicated to educating the public about local traditions, I.e., the history of the textile industry/workers in this region

McDonald’s in town has some interesting McCafe items (I.e., macarons, croissants,…) and menu items (chicken sandwiches with artichokes, chicken sandwiches with red cabbage, both with DOP Padano or Pecorino Romano cheeses). We had coffee with milk and sugar—that also provided us a visit to their bathrooms (WCs)

Purchased “Fatto a Mano…a Bolzano” apple strudel to enjoy when we got “home”

Interesting paintings/frescoes on buildings, interesting Austrian-inspired architecture….

Castelrotto (Kastelruth); South Tyrol, Italy, by Alpe Siusi

“One of the prettiest cities for tourists to visit” by a Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site

Charming, beautiful, clean, lots of flowers in bloom, chestnut tree,,,,

Frescoed and artsy paintings on buildings

Strong Austrian influence on architecture

Lots of hotels, tourist accommodations, restaurants, and so on

Three languages spoken here: German, Italian, and Ladin. Some English spoken but not always

Iconic bell tower with rounded top instead of the typical regional pointy triangular steeple. It is very tall, with a charming little Catholic Church inside. Separate from the tower but still the same parish is a beautiful larger Catholic Church dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul, but I did not notice any statues of them; rather, I saw beautiful statues of Mary, the Divine Providence, St. Ann with young Mary, St. Anthony and the Child Jesus, and St. Francis.

Behind the tower and Church is the prettiest cemetery I have seen probably ever: Public but local, all graves the same size, in neat rows, same or similar metal cross grave markers, deceased’s photos on the markers, flowers on the graves….Containers of holy water available on site. A pretty chapel on site commemorates those who perished in wars….

Kastelruth is by the Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites: spectacular views as the sun approached sunset!

Dinner at Saaltstuben Restaurant in Castelrotto. Awesome everything about it!

Shared a salad composed of a round of goat cheese toasted with buttered sesame seeds on top, on salad greens and tomatoes. John had Tyrolian Canederli with different fillings, including cheese?, mushroom, beet, and spinach, surrounded by fresh cabbage sauerkraut Tyrolian style. I had home-made mezzaluna pasts filled with ricotta and spinach, tossed in garlic infused butter. I loved mine! We both loved the salad! John liked his but says he would not necessarily order them again.

Dessert at the Farm—

The Apple Strudel was good, with plenty of apples, some nuts, and some raisins inside. Not too sweet. Glad we had it, but app,e strudel is just not our thing. Nevertheless, the second half will be breakfast in the morning.