Brixen

A view of the town

Brixen (Italian: Bressanone) is a town in South Tyrol. The first human settlements in the area date back to the Mesolithic age. During the restoration and consolidation of Piazza Duomo (1996), the remains of a hut dating back to around 2,500 years ago were discovered, at a depth of about 4 meters underground. The area was conquered by the Romans, who had their main settlement in the nearby Säben (Italian: Sabiona). They held it until around 590, when it was occupied by Bavarians. Between 960 and 990 the town's influence and participation in the Catholic Church grew dramatically. It was during this era that the first version of the current Cathedral of Brixen was built. Brixen became the seat of an independent ecclesiastical principate when the bishops from Säben moved the bishopric from there in 965 AD.

In 1027, the entire Isarco Valley and the Inn Valley (including Brixen) were given as a gift to Bishop Hartwig by Emperor Conrad II. In 1179, Emperor Frederick I granted the royal rights of sovereignty. The bishops effectively ruled this area until March 23, 1797 when 12,000 men of Napoleon's troops, arrived and occupied the town.The bishopric was secularized in 1803 and annexed by the Austrian Empire. With the outbreak of the First World War, the city found itself a short distance from the Italian front. In November 1918, Italian troops occupied Brixen, which together with the whole of South Tyrol (Italian: Alto Adige) became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

Get in

30 minutes by train from Bolzano, an hour and a half from Innsbruck. There is a daily RailJet train connection from Vienna to Bolzano, stopping in Bressanone.

Get around

The Citybus public transport service has four lines that reach into surrounding villages that are part of the Brixen municipal area. The lines within the city run on 15 minute intervals, while the surrounding villages are served every 30 minutes.

• Line 1: Albiens-Brixen-Varhn (Italian: Albes - Bressanone - Varna)
• Line 2: Milland - Neustift - Varhn (Italian: Millan - Novacella - Varna)
• Line 3: Neustift - Seiserleite/Haller - Unterdrittel - Industriezone/Burgfrieden (Italian: Novacella - Seiserleite/Haller - Terzo di Sotto - zona industriale/via Castelliere)
• Line 4: Krankenhaus - Villa Adele - Bahnhof - Köstlan - St. Josef (Italian: Ospedale - Villa Adele - Stazione - Castellano - San Giuseppe)

See

Brixen Cathedral

The bishops' palace.

• 1 Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Piazza Duomo). Also known as the Brixen Cathedral. Imposing Baroque style church; it dates back to the thirteenth century and underwent successive restorations due to a number of fires. It is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, contains sculpture of the saint by Hans Leinberger from 1520. The ceiling of the nave has a large fresco by Paul Troger portraying the Adoration of the Lamb.  
• 2 Palazzo Vescovile (Hofburg). Ancient residence of the Bishop from the time of the bishopric. The building has three floors, and its external facades are pale yellow, with purple ornamentation. The building has mixture of the Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. Today, it serves as a museum. The palace also houses a permanent exhibition of nativity scenes, which is one of the most important collections of its nature in Europe.  
• 3 St. Michael's Church (Pfarrkirche St. Michael). A modest but beautiful gothic church next to the cathedral. The Gothic choir and the bell tower are from the 15th century while the nave is from the 16th.  

Outside the city is 4 Rodeneck Castle  , one of the most powerful of its time. It has precious frescoes from the early 13th century. Also important are 5 Reifenstein Castle   and 6 Trostburg Castle in Waidbruck  .

Do

• South Tyrolean bread and strudel market. Bakers from the area display their wares in town late September / early October (updated Oct 2019)
• Christmas market. If you happen to be in Brixen in December, don't miss the Christmas market on the square in front of the cathedral (updated Oct 2019)
• 1 Plose Ski. Part of the Dolomiti Superski Area offers decent slopes during winter and is great for easy hikes in the summer. Connected to the city center by bus and subsequently cable car from San Andreas. Ski Passes are around €50 per day. 
• 2 Alta Via 2 (From Plose to Feltre). About 180km long hiking path through 6 mountain groups, takes around 12 days.  

The area is known for wine production, apples and chestnuts. There is a wine trail, and a chestnut trail in the area along which one can visit wineries and orchards.

Buy

The City Center has many shops located in the traditional "Lauben" - archways. Brixen serves as the commercial center for the surrounding villages and therefore offers some decent shopping opportunities, a surprising number of fashion boutiques, stores offering local specialties, an art gallery and various other shops. The shops of the city center offer joint vouchers that one can pay with or get discounts in participating stores. Sometimes those vouchers are complimentary in hotels.

Eat

• Fink. Restaurant and Coffee shop. Closed on Wednesdays. (updated Oct 2019)
• Restaurant Krone. Part of the Hotel Krone in the City Center. Offers the only Neapolitan Style Pizza in town. Margherita for €9.50.
• Kutscherhof. Popular Pizzeria. Offers other dishes as well. Quite noisy inside but with plenty space outside during summer. Located in the city center next to the Palazzo Vescovile. Margherita: about €6.50.
• Traubenwirt. Traditional Restaurant in the city center with local specialties and pizza. Main courses from €22. Guests of the associated hotel get a discount.
• Finsterwirt. Fine Dining Restaurant with 4 or 5 course meals from around €60.

Sleep

Brixen offers a good variety of hotels. Most of which are in the 4 star category. Expect to pay at least €150 per night for 2 people. Book well in advance for Christmas, Easter, and August, as those are peak season in Brixen. Quite a few hotels tend to close for a few weeks during the low season especially in October/November and in March/April. Brixen has a growing number of airbnb's. Most hotels in Brixen offer the so called "Brixen Card" that comes complimentary with the room. It offers free public transportation, access to the "Acquarena" pools and other events. You can book rooms through the usual websites or through "bookingsuedtirol.com" which is a booking portal dedicated to south tyrol exclusively. It is advisable to call the hotel directly to double check the rate you found online, as they may be able to offer a better rate or some upgrades if you book through them.

Go next

Brixen is centrally located in the province and can serve as a hub to explore nearby villages and mountains. Worthwhile next targets could be the medieval cities of Klausen and Sterzing, to the south and the north respectively. Public transportation enables travelers to head to most parts of the province. For longer-range travel, head to Bolzano for international train connections.