Castles and Mountains Merano’s Botanical Garden

With a panorama showcasing snow-dusted mountains and a castle that dates back to the 13^th century, Merano’s botanical gardens at Trauttmansdorff Castle has an excellent canvas to work from.

Building on its natural backdrop with layers of colourful terraces that cover over 100 metres in altitude, the botanical gardens are made up of twelve hectares. Outwardly facing, the Alpine landscapes, crisp fresh air and neo-gothic architecture of the medieval castle root you firmly in the land of South Tyrol, yet look around you and you’ll see microcosms of the world.

In fact, the gardens deliberately shine a light on regions that differ hugely from its environment, making the contrast even more invigorating. Take a turn of the sunlit terraces of the Sun Garden and you’re in the Mediterranean: olive groves (including a 700-year-old Sardinian specimen), fig trees, citrus trees and a semi-desert cacti garden.

Invoke the 15^th century in Italy, in Merano’s Water and Terraced Gardens where formal gardens follow the Italian Renaissance style with trimmed boxed hedges, symmetrical shrubbery and scented sensory flowers such as clematis, rose, camelias and azaleas.

Turn to the orient in the wooded region for soothing Asian-style forests of bamboo, paddy fields and redwood, and a waterfall adds a tinkling Japanese-inspired water theme. There’s even a beach area, shaded by palm trees with a couple of inviting deckchairs waiting. Go deeper and soak up the tropics in the sultry glasshouse, complete with indigenous creatures such as leaf cutter ants and desert locusts.

If your global green adventure has taken you too far from reality, spend some time in an area dedicated to showing the best of home turf. In the Landscapes of South Tyrol see how cultivated meadow orchards produce pear and apple, admire vineyards blooming with regional varieties and gaze with envy at the neat cottage garden with traditional Speltenzaun fencing and perfect rows of vegetables and medicinal plants.

And while you’re here, take a moment to admire the Trauttmansdorff Castle itself: thick medieval walls, a museum located within its beautifully restored rooms including a  crypt and chapel, plus stunning Renaissance frescoes. Sometimes what’s right on your doorstep is impressive enough.

Discover South Tyrol with our 25 fabulous hotels - From its perch in northern Italy, South Tyrol, or Alto Adige as it is also known, is a jewel of ancient cultures set in the mighty crown of the Alps. Nestled among the Dolomite mountains (a UNESCO World Heritage site) a marriage of languages and cultures comes together in the area’s healing spa towns, medieval hamlets, fairytale castles, wine trails and foodie destinations.

Known primarily for skiing, South Tyrol is also a year-round home to hiking, mountain biking and strolling through the botanical gardens at the base of its snow-capped mountains. At the end of the day, cap it all off with a signature hay bath or a dip in the healing thermal waters. This hidden Alpine part of Italy is well worth travelling to.

This is the South Tyrol where Austria snugs up to Italy.