Ötzi! And other things in Bolzano/Bozen

June 8, 2022

I remember reading the news about the discovery of the “Iceman” and following the progress of his identification and dating. And then when I heard about his body and the other archaeological finds being available to the public to see in Bolzano, I decided I had to go there someday.

As an aside, at one point I was thinking of riding from the Dordogne valley to Südtirol to visit both Lascaux IV and Ötzi in one trip…

In any case, seeing Ötzi was the only item firmly on the agenda for our two days in Bolzano. I made the reservation a couple of days ago (you can only reserve less than 3 days in advance) and we duly headed off this morning to arrive at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology before our 10:00 reservation time. I note that the museum has a very formal name (in 3 languages) but its website address is iceman.it and its FB page is OetziTheIceman. In reality, the museum is all about Ötzi and the research based on his body and effects.

The museum is definitely worth the time we spent there. Al had been there before but he was patient with my need to read and see everything. Photos aren’t allowed on the level with the artefacts but here are a few from the other areas:

I remember reading all these stories at the time.

Ötzi’s time was well after the paintings at Lascaux.

The life size model is based on the body recovered. But the feet look small and hands somewhat big. Apparently, when alive, Ötzi was about my size, just a few cm taller and a bit heavier.

He was found with a coat but the model is bare-chested, perhaps to show some of his tattoos. It’s surmised they weren’t decorative since they were in places his clothing would have covered (back, calf, foot, wrist).

On the top floor was a special temporary exhibit about mobility during the Copper Age. It was interesting and included this bit of humour.

A garden gnome, in a glass case no less!

We walked around the old town and adjacent streets a bit before heading back to our apartment to escape the heat. A few photos from before and after our museum visit:

In Piazza della Erbe (Obstplatz). We came back later to buy sandwiches from one of the bakery stalls for lunch.

Autonomy is a big deal in a region that’s been passed between nations without its consent. This new-looking installation in Silvius-Magnano-Platz provides historical background, outlines the current status of governance, and poses thoughtful questions.

I went out again in the evening to get a few more photos once the heat had gone but the light wasn’t great. The clouds have moved in again but hopefully they will be gone tomorrow.

This Post Office looks like it was built during the Mussolini years.

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