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Entertainment in Bolzano It is difficult to determine whether Bolzano is a good place for entertainment as it really depends on your point of view and whether you are a local or a tourist. However we can truthfully say that in the last few years the capital has abandoned its longstanding lethargy and transformed itself, particularly in the case of the old town, into a 'living city? Not so long ago though, Bolzano nights could be a little boring: a beer at the pub, the cinema, restaurants all closed after 10 o?clock and almost deserted streets. But things gradually began to change. The towns cultural offerings increased with the exception perhaps of the cinema which is the only downside. There has however been a gradual increase of concerts, theatres, and exhibitions to the extent that cultural activities now outdo the demand. Thanks to the citys reappearance on the tourist scene, the situation with public places has also improved with many restaurants now staying open until after 10 o?clock and the creation of the?Bermuda Dreieck? ' the Bermuda Triangle ' which on the Viennese model is the area of the old town which is busiest at weekends and where you will find the main concentration of bars, pubs and restaurants etc. A short time ago, the slightest hint of noise would attract the attention of the police and the authorities, but today many of the bars and pubs in the old town are open till one or two in the morning and are so busy that they have started to serve drinks on the street even though there are no tables outside. Bolzanos 'Bermuda Dreieck? is located between piazza Domenicani, piazza delle Erbe and piazza Walther. The popularity of the pubs goes up and down each week and those that are 'out? can do little about it. This constant changing simply shows how great the need is for new ventures to liven up the city. There are bars and pubs for adolescents as well as for the thirty somethings. There are Irish pubs such as the Pogue Mahones and German Beer Gardens such as the Birreria Forst, Latin American bars where you can also have dinner such as the Nadamas, or fashionable bars like the Caffè Teatro. If you want something more relaxing then there places such as the piano bar of the Parkhotel Laurin or 'caciaroni? like Café Latino or the Soul Kitchen, with the latter being located in the south of Bolzano. The most popular sport is getting from one to another, taking care not to have too much alcohol. As far as discos are concerned, Bolzano does not have as many as some Italian cities. In piazza Domenicani, right in the centre is the Mirò Disco Club and a bit further on, in Via Gilm, is Dancing Ok. The former is the citys only real nightclub with the latter being a German style club where the clientele are mainly in their 30s upwards. For those who like roulette, in Innsbruck, the Tyrols capital only 120km from Bolzano along the motorway (around an hour and a quarter via the Brennero pass) there is a nice Casinò, popular among many locals. The alternative in the summer months is the Casinò di Seefeld, a renowned tourist centre in the Tyrol, a bit further away where you can play roulette, black jack or on the slot machines in a traditional style building more like a luxury mountain hut than a gambling house. As far as night time is concerned, the Austrian casinos are open 24 hours. For the rest Bolzanos cultural offerings have two strong points: music and the theatre. The Palaonda and the Palaresia have, in the past, housed top level pop and rock concerts: Sting to Joe Cocker, from Zucchero to the Gipsy Kings, from Paco de Lucia to BB King and James Brown. At the Palaresia there have also been symphonic orchestras directed by maestros such as Abbado and Askhenazy. The Conservatorio Monteverdi and the Auditorium Haydn also house top quality concerts. The conservatorio, in particular, houses every August, the concorso pianistico internazionale Busoni (the Busoni International Piano Contest) whilst the Auditorium hosts the musical season of the Orchestra Haydn, with a programme ranging from traditional symphonic music to jazz. The Nuovo Teatro Comunale in Piazza Verdi, was designed by the famous Milan architect Marco Zanuso and hosts the prose season of the glorious TSB, the Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, which brings some of the best in Italian theatre to the city every year, with prestigious names such as Mariangela Melato, Moni Ovadia, Gianfranco Tedeschi, Giulio Boselli and others. The theatre also plays host to some of the shows of the popular comic theatre company, ?L?arte del far ridere?, organised by the 'La Comune? circle with some of the best Italian acts, from Paolo Rossi to Lella Costa, from Giobbe Covatta to Paolo Hendel with the rest of the shows being split between the Casa della cultura and the Auditorium Roen. There are two amateur theatre shows: the UILT, with various stage shows and 'Nuovo Spazio? association, on stage in the Teatro Rainerum. Alternative theatre can be found on stage the Carambolage, one of the citys most interesting buildings. Lovers of the cinema should not get their hopes up, going to the cinema in Bolzano is still a rare treat for due to the definite lack of cinemas. The Cinema Concordia is large but far from the centre, Cinema Eden is centrally located but small. Apart from the Filmclub which specialises in arthouse cinema there is also Cineforum which organises special evenings; with local cinephiles eagerly awaiting the opening of the Centro cinematografico Capitol, which will have two screens, a literary café and a themed library. In the summer a good alternative is the open air cinema organised by various associations at different locations each year. Restaurants aside, it is worth remembering that in these parts, summer equals ice cream. In Bolzano itself and on the periphery, there are dozens of ice-cream parlours often with outside tables which offer good, even excellent home-made ice cream and acting as meeting points in the summer months. Iced coffee, bowls of fresh fruit salad, ice cream or frozen desserts are popular among everyone but if you want some advice, try the vanilla ice cream with warm raspberries. If fast food is your thing, remember that the historical McDonalds (the first in Italy) reopened in 2000; if you fancy a quick snack you can also head for the Birreria Romagnolo, whilst for slices of pizza we recommend Subito with outlets and cafés on Via Museo, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza del Grano. |
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