Bolzano is one of the warmest places in Italy. Despite the mountain freshness, the thermometer climbs to 35 degrees in summer. © Getty Images

To understand Bolzano, this compact picture-book town in the basin of the Adige Valley, you only need to understand two things: the love of pleasure that Italians cultivate - and the respect for structures that South Tyroleans have inherited from their northern neighbors. Bolzano unites these two worlds in the most beautiful architectural ensemble. At this intersection between north and south, at the foot of the Alps and at the first foothills of the Po Valley, two cultures live harmoniously together under a burning glass. Even if they still have to get used to the different paces on some evenings.

Clemens Zahn

There's another one. Cobo, who is actually called Rino but has had this nickname for 30 years, points to a German gentleman who, as soon as he sits down on the wicker chair, raises his index finger and nervously pokes holes in the air. "That's what I call the 'like syndrome'," says Cobo. He's referring to the guests at his bar in Bolzano's old town, who want to order as soon as they arrive. A sign above the bar reads in German: "We have already gone further than slow food, we are slow service".

Aperitivo instead of happy hour

© Alex Filz

For northerners, 6 pm sounds like happy hour, for Bolzano residents it's called: Aperitivo. You don't go home from the office, but to a bar to meet friends, chat with colleagues or have a date. The aperitivo is a tradition from Milan, but the Bolzano version has been booming for at least 15 years: Here, you'll get northern Italian bacon and cheese with Aperol Spritz or Hugo.

Giovanni De Sandre

This pre-dinner ritual is as much a part of Bolzano as the famous arcades in the old town and the view of the Dolomites at dusk. It has become part of everyday life, similar to the espresso in the morning - a way of living the city, experiencing it and participating in it. The people of Bolzano say that the aperitivo - and even German-speaking north Italians always pronounce this word in Italian and with a slightly rolling R - is an expression of how well you are doing.

Thomas Rötting

Guests can check their state of mind at Rino's. Thirty years ago, he transformed the former fish benches, where traders used to lay out their catch, into an open-air bar. Ivy clings to the marble benches and up to the colorful lanterns. Markets have existed in Bolzano since the 12th century, and the Kornplatz and fruit market still bear witness to the former regulations. It's all about small sips and great refreshment. That's what you need in this city of almost 107,000 inhabitants. It lies in a valley with porphyry rock, a volcanic rock that stores heat in summer and releases it into the surrounding area. This is why the capital of northern Italy is regularly one of the warmest places in Italy. Despite the mountain freshness, the thermometer climbs to 35 degrees in summer. Given this climate, who wouldn't want a range of temperature-reducing drinks in green, red or yellow?

Meadows, trees and a panoramic view of the Alps

The Messner Mountain Museums of mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner moved into Sigmundskron Castle in 2006. © Alex Filz

There are ways to cool off. Next to the train station, a cable car takes you up to Oberbozen, 1200 meters above sea level. Below you, paths wind their way across the meadows, trees sway in the wind - and the panorama of the peaks slowly draws closer. The multi-award-winning Parkhotel Holzner awaits at the terminus, where you can sit on the terrace in the sunshine during the day. In the evening, she heads to chef Stephan Zippl's fine-dining restaurant, which is part of the hotel.

Restaurant Laurin

After the vernissage, many people end their evening in the place that has been attracting the city's society for years: the bar of Parkhotel Laurin. In the cozy bar, guests sit in chic leather armchairs on parquet flooring, enjoy live music from the piano and, on cold days, there's even a crackling fireplace. A high coffered ceiling adorns the room, surrounded by an Art Nouveau fresco illustrating the story of King Laurin. I have no idea what happened to the bearded man - in any case, he smiles as blissfully as if he had already had a few drinks in the Laurin.

Solemn architecture

Giovanni De Sandre

The fact that you see arches everywhere on the way home is not collateral damage of the nightcap. The city loves them and they stand out everywhere: in the medieval arcades, on doors and gates. The stores in the city center are often old vaults, where gray-painted ceilings come together like in a chapel. The architecture is solemn. At the end of the day, you understand Bolzano: the city knows how to present itself.