Empress Sissi in Merano, South Tyrol, Italy
Where Austrian Royalty spent their summer holidays
Oct 24, 2008
Even today a walk through downtown Merano in the valley where the rivers Passiria and Adige join on the southside of the Italian Alps, with its beautifully restored villas and historic resorts is very impressive for the first time visitor. With its 35.000 inhabitants the town is wellknown for its spa resort and the healing waters of its thermal spring. The best assets, the town has to offer, however, are its mild climate and its beautiful surroundings.
Empress Elizabeth of Austria and Hungary Visits in Merano, Italy
In 1837 Empress Elizabeth of Austria and Hungary or Sissi, how she was lovingly called by her people, decided to come here for the first time. She was accompanied by her two daughters, one of which - the young Marie Valerie - was seriously ill. Sissi hoped the mild climate and the healing waters would help to improve her daughter's health. And as it turned out, her hopes were fulfilled.
The Empress and her daughters stayed in the castle of Trauttmansdorff on the edge of Merano, from where they went for long walks. In the castle gardens, which have since been turned into a wellknown and beautiful botanical garden with plants from all over the world, there is still a path which she had prepared for her walks. It leads along the hillside through a cool oak forest and offers breathtaking views of the town and its surroundings.
It is said that the fact that Marie Valerie, Sissi's litte daughter, felt better after her stay in castle Trauttmansdorff led to an increase in visits from European aristocrats. It is certainly true that Merano turned into a well loved spa resort over the years which still attracts many visitors each year from all over the world.
Tragedy in the Royal Family Prompted Sissi's Second Stay in Merano
In 1889 Empress Elizabeth returned to Merano. This time it was she herself who needed time for healing. Only a few months before her second visit her son had committed suicide, and she came to Italy to get over this personal tragedy. Contrary to her first stay in town she kept mostly to the castle's sheltered gardens and did not go for extensive walks through town as she had done during her first visit.
Empress Sissi's Walk to Downtown Merano and the Sissi Terrace in Castle Trauttmansdorff
In memory of the times the Austrian royal family has spent in Merano the local tourist office has published a brochure with a route from castle Trauttmansdorff to Downtown Merano which Empress Elizabeth often took during her first stay. Visitors to the Botanical Gardens of Castle Trauttmansdorff can still walk along the Sissi Promenade which continues to offer its stunning views of the town and the surrounding valley to today's summer guests.
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