The castles of Alto Adige are a real treat. They range from immense ruins and private homes, to publicly owned centers and holiday homes where you can live like a medieval count for at least one night.

The tourism authorities of Alto Adige are able to provide any visitor with a full list of over 100 such castles. They all have names as improbable as their setting such as 'Goldegg, 'Torgglkeller' and 'Ubergriessenstein' reflecting ancient historical ties with north and central Europe.

Merano is located in the valley of the River Adige as it runs downhill to Bolzano. It is one of Italy's northernmost towns and for this reason your might find the locals calling it Meran.

This is the emotional heart of Süd Tirol and in case you weren't sure 'Tirol' itself is just outside the town. The population can trace their roots to pre-history and the Liguri. The Romans only got there 15 years before BC became AD.

The name Mairania only came to the fore in 847 AD and it was only in the 12th century that the ruling count took up the name Tirol. The Italian branch of the dynasty passed over the reins to their Austrian cousins in 1363 and this coincided with a decline in the area as Innsbruck remained their preferred home.

The Alta Badia is an area of the Dolomites which sits in a concave of land surrounded on all sides by the high mountains. With its six small towns grouped into three comuni the area is a self contained unit for both winter and summer sports.

The towns themselves are Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Pedraces, La Val. All are between 1300 and 1600 meters above sea level.

A specialty of the Badia Valley is 'Kaminwurz' or 'fireplace' sausage. It is a sausage of average size made from a paste of lean pork and beef, enriched with pure lard. It is simple and tasty and seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Speck has always played a fundamental part in the diet of the people of this mountainous area, yet it was only fairly recently that companies really begin to produce the meat on a large commercial scale. For this reason a rich variety of recipes and preparations are still very much alive, all based on family tradition and well kept secrets.

Although on first appearance speck seems a raw product, rather like uncooked bacon, it is one of the classic examples of conserved meat from the Alto Adige region.

Only if it is prepared with the closest care and attention will a manufacturer in the area receive the brand seal 'Süd Tirol' or 'Alto Adige' for his product.

We are interested in walks through Bolzano and in food routes through the Dolomites. please send us material. M.E., North Caldwell, NJ. Bolzano has always been a frontier town between Italy and northern Europe. As a result it has an artistic and cultural heritage that should not be overlooked.

Enjoy your own walking tour, but do get informed in advance as the beauty of Bolzano is in the small details which might be missed. Where better to start than the Archaeological Museum which documents the whole history of the province from Paleolithic times to the Carolingan era.

The famous preserved prehistoric man "Ötzi" is Bolzano's latest tourist attraction and can be visited here. It is interesting to think that he top and tails the whole 5300 year period.

ingredients

5 large apples, 200gr flour, 2 eggs, 3 glasses of milk, half a glass rum, 40gr caster sugar, 1 grated lemon peel, 100gr butter for frying, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar or cocoa or cinnamon powder

making it

Core and peel the apples, then slice them into pieces which are not too thin. Place the apples slices on a large plate and soak them in the rum. Leave to one side for 10 mins.