Merano and the Val Venosta, South Tyrol’s Most Beautiful Valley

Morning flight from London Heathrow to Innsbruck. Our coach takes us to the city centre of Innsbruck. After lunch, we visit the Museum Ferdinandeum to study the winged altarpiece from Tyrol Castle. From there, we continue to Merano and check in to our hotel.

This morning we walk through Merano, Tyrol’s old capital. Arcaded passages and imposing burghers’ houses are still the vibrant mercantile centre, while the mighty parish church and the hospital church are further testimony to Merano’s wealth. The Prince’s Castle and former seat of Tyrolean government was embellished by Count Sigmund ‘Rich in Coin’ in the 1440s for his wife Eleanor of Scotland – with many original furnishings still in place. In the afternoon, we travel to Trauttmansdorff Castle and its prize-winning gardens, a favourite retreat of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

Towering above Merano, the ancestral castle of the Counts of Tyrol lent its name to the whole county. Admire some fine Romanesque architecture and sculpture and learn of the formidable Countess Margret Maultasch. More scandalous stories – and great architecture in a stunning setting – await in Schenna, residence with the neo-Gothic mausoleum of Archduke Johann of Austria who had married a local postmaster’s daughter. Elaborate and well-preserved frescoes in the International Gothic style decorate the walls of the round church of St George in Schenna.

Morning coach excursion to Lana where the church of St Margaret (special access) boasts beautiful Romanesque frescoes. The winged altarpiece by the Swabian sculptor Hans Schnatterpeck in the parish church of Lana (special access) is a peculiar piece of art and full of superlatives: at a height of 14 metres it is considered the largest of its kind in the Alps. Carved in chestnut wood and elaborately gilded, Schnatterpeck received the gigantic sum of 1600 Florins plus 8 cartloads of wine as payment. Later in the day we return to Merano for some free time.

Full-day coach excursion to the Val Venosta. We visit the Churburg/Castel Coira, a handsome, palatial Renaissance castle. The charming Italianate courtyard leads to richly furnished living quarters and a private armoury with 50 complete suits of armour spanning a period of 200 years. Even the most reluctant viewer will be impressed by their craftsmanship. The church of the Holy Spirit in nearby Latsch is home to an exquisitely carved polyptych by Jörg Lederer, a contemporary of Riemenschneider and Stoss. Close to Merano, the weathered church of St Patroklus in Naturns is decorated with impressive murals possibly dating back to the 7th century.

Today we travel to Müstair in Switzerland to visit the Benedictine convent of St John, a gem of Carolingian and Romanesque art and architecture. Recent research established that its foundation was undertaken in 775 by Charlemagne himself. This fully frescoed UNESCO World Heritage listed monument houses the largest preserved cycle of early mediaeval wall paintings.

In the afternoon, we continue to the Benedictine church of Marienberg whose crypt features angelic hosts in an explosion of blues, greens and whites (by special access). The church of St Benedict (special access) in nearby Mals is said to have been built by a Frankish nobleman in Charlemagne’s entourage who had himself depicted in one of the wall paintings.

After a leisurely breakfast, we travel to Feldthurns to visit the summer palace of the prince-bishops of Brixen/Bressanone showcasing stunning Mannerist wall paintings and panelings. We break for lunch in Sterzing from where we continue to Innsbruck airport for our flight to London Heathrow.