Glimpses of South Tyrol: Meran's Climatic Advantages and the Summer Retreat

Extraordinary supplement to the Allgemeine Zeitung. No. 275 and 276. 1834 (14 July).

Glimpses of South Tyrol.

Meran.

It seems not altogether inexpedient, at this moment when physicians across a large part of Southern Germany are beginning to send their chest patients and sufferers of gout to Meran with great success, to direct public attention to this interesting point of our fatherland, which in many respects rivals Nice and the Hyères Islands, and certainly possesses paramount advantages for Germans. For apart from the fact that the journey to those places is more arduous and also more costly, in delicate patients the unfamiliar way of life alone is sufficient, if not to destroy, then at least to weaken other favorable impressions. Furthermore, too great a distance from home, amidst foreign nationalities, has an unsettling effect especially on patients prone to hypochondria; and beneficial though the mild air of Nice may on the whole be for the lungs, it is proven that at certain seasons, as on all coasts, fevers rage there that utterly exhaust the body. Only too abundant examples confirm this experience. Meran, on the other hand, lies in a thoroughly healthy region, enclosed to the north by high mountains that rise like a wall against the immense glaciers of the Tyrolean Alpine world, binding and breaking their influence—fatal to many another fertile valley—to the great advantage of the beautiful Adige Valley. To the south, the valley is open as far as the Rocchetta, and the warm breath of Italy sweeps over the middle heights and reaches this region in a tempered state, which already rises 1,187 Parisian feet above sea level. Meran lies 90 Par. ft. higher than Botzen, enclosed in a deep mountain basin, where the heat is unbearable and the cold in winter sharp, and 567 Parisian feet lower than Innsbruck, whose climate is changeable and harsh. Around Meran the vine grows up to the altitude of the middle mountains and yields a wholesome, light wine; the fig and peach trees grow wild without cultivation, the former bearing fruit two or even three times. Pomegranates, too, are not uncommon; lemons and oranges yield an abundant harvest; the soil receives the seed twice a year for double crops; sweet chestnuts and walnuts form forests of colossal trunks, and all nobler varieties of fruit, especially the far-shipped rosemary apples, thrive here in profusion and are of exquisite quality. For this reason, a stay in Meran in autumn is as beneficial as it is agreeable. The grape is juicy and surrounded by so tender a skin that it is far preferable to the neighboring Italian grapes and even to the so delicious raisins de Fontainebleau. A grape cure is therefore far more to be recommended here than in the Rhine regions. Yet in spring also, at the time of the vine blossom, when with every breath one inhales the balsamic pollen of so many noble plants, the air is very salubrious. Often, while strolling through the magnificent fields, one stops entranced, captivated by the fragrant aroma, breathes with doubled draughts, and feels an infinite sense of well-being course through the whole body; one realizes more than ever how essentially the air affects our health, and how irresponsible it is to let patients slowly perish amidst fogs, noxious exhalations, and harsh, constantly shifting weather, instead of affording them relief from their sufferings by a prompt change of air. Throughout the summer, the weather here is consistently good. Prolonged bad weather is rare, an entirely poor summer quite exceptional. When thunderstorm clouds pile up everywhere in the great heat, it is wonderful to see how they are swiftly drawn in by the highest mountain of the region, the Mutt, and dispatched toward the Vinschgau or the Passeier Valley. There, in the distance, one then watches the terrible storms discharge, while the Adige territory gets off with a passing shower lasting perhaps a couple of hours, which immediately gives way again to the most splendid sunshine. The torrents rushing down from the ravines then bear witness by their violence and color to the fury of the storms happily averted. It is said that five sizable lakes on the highest peak of the Mutt range are the cause of this phenomenon. — Should the heat become too oppressive in midsummer, the many castles and villages scattered about the heights invite hospitably to a stay of several weeks. This is called the Sommerfrist or Sommerfrisch, and is customary throughout Tyrol. *) The mountains around Meran are covered to middle height with vineyards and chestnut woods, and often up to the peak with grain and maize. Wherever the eye turns, one beholds a high cultivation of the soil. Here German diligence and industriousness join with a fortunate climate and productive soil. With unspeakable toil, garden earth is often carried up the rocks, carefully shored up with stone walls so that it does not fall down, manure carried up in baskets, and thus the harvest is secured. On the other hand, however, one also sees stately villages on the highest mountains, with church steeples that seem to touch the heavens; a wondrous sight!

(Conclusion follows.)

*) Another letter from South Tyrol contains the following details, which we append to complete the picture: “The season of the summer retreat (Sommerfrist) has now arrived everywhere. For the past fortnight, all of Botzen has been riding on horseback up the steep mountains leading to Oberbotzen and the Ritten (Rütten), where a considerable number of pleasant houses and good inns offer all the comforts of life, which is truly surprising to find at such an elevation. As a curious circumstance, it deserves mention that the most agreeable sociability prevails up here, whereas during the rest of the year, in Bozen itself, almost no community exists among families. This delightful villegiatura lasts until the end of September, when the grape harvest calls everyone back down to the valley. The heat in Botzen is indeed unbearable, and very detrimental to health because of the many marshes in the valley of Terlan, where the magnificent wine grows. But in Oberbotzen it is healthy and delightful, and the air is the finest one can breathe. There is no lack of splendid excursions either. Thus a ride up the high, magnificent Schlern, and from there across a rich alpine pasture into the Val Gardena and surrounding area, is very rewarding, and everything can be managed very well on horseback in three to four days. From Meran too, where the heat is likewise great, but the air very healthy, the most prominent inhabitants depart for the castles of the surrounding heights and pleasant Partschins with its magnificent waterfall. The spas, near and far, are beginning to fill up. In particular, the potent Ultenbad is heavily visited. Mad. Schechner-Wagen will also travel thither. Raby in the Nonsberg (Val di Non), a very high-lying valley, is visited for the most part by Italians. The region is romantic, and the water can be compared to that of Selters. Pejo, opposite it, is considered even stronger; the area is wilder and more solitary. Most widely used is the Prutz water, which almost everyone mixes into their wine. Whoever does not shy away from a farther excursion seeks out the mineral springs of the lovely Euganean Hills, where Abano with its excellent establishments beckons invitingly. If one adds to this the baths of northern Tyrol and those of the Puster Valley, one must confess that nowhere is one closer to these beneficial curative powers than here. — The feast of Saint Vigilius drew, as ever, a vast crowd to Trent this year as well. All manner of games, opera, and fireworks alternated with the solemn observance of the procession and high masses. The weather was very favorable, and until late into the night everything surged in the streets.”