http://www.meranerland.com RSS-Feed regarding the holiday region Merano and environs. en-EN http://www.meranerland.com Meraner Land 2009 http://www.meranerland.com/img/en/logo.gif http://www.meranerland.com On Sunday, 18th July 2010, the 12th edition of the popular Salewa Cup will take place in Pfelders/Plan in Val Passiria. The extreme mountain run is designed for those who seek a real challenge, as its plane of elevation rises 1,255m (780 miles) in altitude over a course that is only 10.5 km (6.46 miles) in length. http://www.meranerland.com/en/activities/highlights/salewa-cup/ www.meranerland.com-1306 History and development Founded in 1985 by a private association, the institution was regional in scope, and its purpose lay in the promotion of the visual arts in the Tyrolean region. In the 1990s, the museum extended its sphere of activity to a general comparison of modern German and Italian art. It took the name MUSEION in 1991, intending to reflect the essentially interdisciplinary character of contemporary art. Yet, only in the year 2000, the Museion became a Museum for Modern and Contemporary Art of Bolzano. In honour to its own past mission and due to its special location between two cultures the museum established according to its new emphasis on the contemporary, the subject matter of „language in art“ as one of its significant areas of specialization. New building and current institution The Foundation of the Museum as “Museion - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art„ was finally created in 2006. On May 24th Museion could inaugurate its new building, designed by the Berlin studio of KSV Architects: Krüger, Schuberth, Vandreike. The new Museion is an „open“ museum. The building's cubic shape is charged with strong visual impact, and the architecture itself is a vehicle of dialog. The new Museion building presents itself as an equally physical and symbolic links between the German and the Italian part of the city, still divided by the river Talvera. At night these facades become highly suggestive surfaces for the projection of newly commissioned artworks. The Collection The Museion is neither a traditional museum, nor a center for contemporary art. It is a museum of modern and contemporary art of a different kind. The enrichment of Museion's collections will run parallel to the production of temporary exhibitions and interdisciplinary events. Amidst the region's multicultural and plurilinguisitic wealth, the Museion is an art institution specialized on the subject of „language in art“ that sees the generation of projects and investigations in the field of contemporary art to offer timely possibilities for enlivening its collection and promoting new modes of aesthetic awareness. Thanks to the great commitment of the Province of South Tyrol, the Museion collection will be able to add a new dimension to its holdings in the heritage of twentieth and twenty-first century art. Apart from the permanent collection, the Museion offers temporary exhibitions of national and international artists throughout the whole year. Opening hours and contact: The Museion is open all year round Museion Dantestraße/Via Dante 6 I-39100 Bozen/Bolzano t +39 0471 22 34 11 f + 39 0471 22 34 12 www.museion.it - info@museion.it http://www.meranerland.com/en/culture/cultural-suggestions/museion/ www.meranerland.com-1273 All of the five winter sport areas in the holiday region of Merano and its surroundings offer their guests cross-country skiing trails: Val d'Ultimo: cross-country skiing trails leading through a landscape of forests, fields and meadows - with a breathtaking panoramic view of the whole valley. With its 7.5 and 15.5 miles (12 & 25 km) trails and a gentle 300m altitude difference, we also recommend that you take a look at the picturesque villages of Santa Geltrude, San Nicolò e Santa Valburga. Plan/Val Passiria: The cross-country slope called Innerhütt is a 3.1 mile trail and is perfect for beginners as well as for the more experienced. You have the option between two distances: There is an easy going 1.8 mile (3km) slope and also a moderate difficult slope of 3.1 miles (5km). A special tip is the night skiing under floodlights that takes place twice a week. The romantic trail from Plan to the valley of Lazinser Tal takes you through a narrow valley between majestic mountains and silver-green spruce trees. Here you have the option between three distances: An easy going trail of 4.3 miles (7km) and two moderately difficult slopes of 3.4 miles and 7.4 miles (5.5km & 12km). Because of its moderate altitude change this slope is perfect for beginners and children. Other cross-country skiing trails can be found in the area of Walten (1.8 miles or 3km) and on the high mountain pass of Monte Giovo (3.7 miles or 6km). http://www.meranerland.com/en/activities/winter/cross-country-skiing/ www.meranerland.com-71 The first edition of Icefight, held last year in the small mountain village of Corvara in Val Passiria, was an incredible success. Thousands of spectators came to watch the worldwide elite of the sport participate, including Urs Odermatt from Switzerland and the local heroine and reigning women's world champion Angelika Rainer, to witness them climbing on sheer walls of ice and ascending various inclined ice formations. The athletes themselves were also highly satisfied with the event. The Austrian ice climber and men's world champion, Markus Bendler said: „This facility is one of the best of its kind ever. In my eyes it is made for hosting the world championships.“ Icefight 2010 The second edition of the ice climbing event „Icefight“ in Corvara in Val Passiria will take place on the 30th and 31st of January, 2010. Once again, the worldwide elite of competitive ice climbers will meet at the „Ice Tower“ and demonstrate spectacular ascents at this beautiful but demanding ice climbing facility. Climbing on ice walls and ascending inclined ice formations, the champions of the sport will compete in male and female categories, and also in the spectacular speed climbing competitions. The Ice Tower The Ice Tower of Corvara in Passiria is one of the biggest and most sophisticated artificial ice climbing facilities of its kind in Europe. The entire structure comprises a vertical tower 25 m in height, an ice cylinder of 14 m in height and 5 m diameter, and an ice wall of 15 m in height. These facilities are completed by horizontal climbing features, as well as crossing passages and numerous challenging ice ledges. http://www.meranerland.com/en/activities/highlights/icefight/ www.meranerland.com-1276 In Lana and the surrounding area you can experience nature in all its varieties: Lana itself is located in an idyllic spot, surrounded by vineyards and apple trees. At the same time, it offers an extensive variety of holiday activities. Cermes, which is located close-by, is equally colourful. In each season, nature displays a different hue. http://www.meranerland.com/en/merano-and-environs/lana-and-surroundings/ www.meranerland.com-90 A house of contemporary art in the old city of Merano. Here on three floors with more than 500 square meters of exhibition space works of contemporary art, architecture, literature and music are presented. http://www.meranerland.com/en/culture/museums/kunst-meran/ www.meranerland.com-76 On the glacier in the high alpine valley of Schnals/Val Senales, visitors will have the unique opportunity to see musical instruments carved and shaped from ice and listen to the special music they produce at 3,200 meters above sea-level. The first ice cathedral A prestigious event for which not only will the musical instruments be made of ice but also the venue itself. An awesome, thrilling location in the fascinating world of the Val Senales glacier was transformed into an unexpected architectural experience. The design features a central domed chamber standing 18 mt. with multiple antichambers. A fantastically original setting with a stage, rows of seats and bar all carved from ice. http://www.meranerland.com/en/culture/highlights/icemusic/ www.meranerland.com-553 Tobogganing is very traditional sport in South Tyrol. Armin Zöggeler, the multiple world champion and Olympic winner is the most well known toboggan driver of the country and descends form the little village of Foiana, which is close to the city of Merano. All of the five winter sport areas in the holiday region of Merano and its surroundings make it their priority to take special care of their toboggan tracks, which is highly praised by all of our guests of all ages. In the ski resort of Merano 2000 one has got the choice between a classic toboggan track of nearly 1.8 miles (3km) and the Alpine Bob, a rail bobsled track that is a challenge even for the most courageous amongst us. On Fridays the transportation railway is open until 10pm and the tracks are also well illuminated with floodlights. In the ski resort of the Senales Glacier, one can toboggan from the Lauzaun's ski lifts over 2.2 miles (3.5km) to the locality Maso Corto. The toboggan track in the ski resort of Monte San Vigilio will a great experience for anybody who rides its 1.2 mile (2km) track. With its steep turns and arduous descents, this track is exactly what makes tobogganing so exciting. In the valley of Val Passiria, one has got the choice between six toboggan tracks of various lengths and difficulty levels. The most well known of all toboggan tracks is in the ski resort of Plan and 1.5 miles (2.5km) in length. The toboggan track in the ski resort of Schwemmalm in the Val d'Ultimo can be reached after a twenty minute's hike through the beautiful winter forest. The track is 1.476 feet (450m) in length and is renowned for numerous contests. Wednesday is toboggan-afternoon and after 7pm one can toboggan in the moonshine. Apart from the toboggan run at Schwemmalm, all other tracks mentioned can be reached by using cable cars or chair lifts and toboggan rental is possible at all mentioned resorts. Further information can be obtained at the local tourist Information offices and at ski resort cashier desks. http://www.meranerland.com/en/activities/winter/tobogganing/ www.meranerland.com-73 The Val Passiria, which forms a branch of the Merano basin, has everything that lovers of activity holidays and families who like hiking could possibly want: 5 km near the city of Merano are well situated between orchards and vineyards the two holiday places Rifiano and Caines. Hospitality and south tyrolian tradition will welcome you in Rifiano and Caines. Taking San Martino and San Leonardo as your starting point, you can take extensive hikes in the mountains. Ambitious hikers start at the Hirzer-cableway, and there is also the wild and romantic waterfall in Kalm - so there is something for everyone. One can enjoy the pleasures of nature in the Alta Passiria, where the Ötztal Alps, the Stubai Alps and the Sarntal Alps rise above idyllic little villages: In Moso, Stulles, Plata and Plan you can enjoy the ideal mixture of activity and relaxation no matter what the season. In summer, you can go hiking, in winter, skiing, or use your snowboard in the skiing area of Plan. http://www.meranerland.com/en/merano-and-environs/val-passiria/ www.meranerland.com-139 The milk used in South Tyrol for the preparation of many dairy products derives from the diminutive Tyrolese Grey Cow, a small and typical Alpine breed of cattle. Its milk has an excellent quality and is adequate either for direct consumption or for processing into other high-quality products (cheese, butter, yogurt). Among the mountain cattle breeds in Italy the Tyrolese Greys have the best milk quality ratio (as a source for fat and protein) and delivers a higher amount of content for processing into other products. In regional alpine dairies and cheese factories the milk is carefully made into butter, yoghurt, quark, different kinds of cream cheeses, semi-hard cheeses and soft cheeses. Special ingredients such as wine leaves, herbs and spices, like fenugreek and pepper, give each brand of cheese its own particular flavour. Cheese is an important component of the traditional diet, for example in the typical South Tyrolean "Marende", the traditional afternoon snack consisting of bread, cheese and cold cuts. Yet the idea of refining local cheese types gained ground only in the years after the Second World War, when prosperity arrived. Today, the highest quality milk from this Alpine breed is doubtless generated in South Tyrol, as is the cheese, especially in the mountain dairies of Merano and its environs. http://www.meranerland.com/en/pleasure/local-products/milk-and-cheese/ www.meranerland.com-116