Meran/ Triest

Elisabeth spends the winters of 1870 and 1889 in Trauttmansdorff Castle. The mild climate of South Tyrol is good for both the empress and her daughter Valerie, both somewhat unhealthy. Numerous walks are a part of Sisi’s stay in Meran. To accommodate her wish for taking walks, gravel paths are even added to a nearby forest. The gardens of  Trauttmansdorf castle designed in the form of a natural amphitheater impress today’s guests with Mediterranean flair and include Italy’s northernmost olive grove, more than 80 types of gardens as well as many art and discovery points of interest. Today the castle houses the "Touriseum", the national museum for tourism.

In 2005 these outstanding European gardens which feature a height difference of 100 meters were selected as “Italy’s most beautiful garden.” The path “Sissi Weg” leads from the castle to Empress Elisabeth Park and to the marble statue of Sisi in Meran. The health resort is well-known due to its water containing the curative ingredients arsenic and iron.

The K.u.K. Museum Bad Egart, west of Meran and located in Partschins, displays many original belongings of the Habsburgs and Sisi. The passionate collector Karl Platino, also known as Uncle Taa, has collected fervently for more than 50 years and remodeled the old spa into an exhibition area. Bad Egart is considered Tyrol’s oldest spa. Existence of the spring is verifiable since 1430, but it was probably used by the Romans for drinking water and spa therapy.

The Dolomite village Madonna di Campiglio is located south of Meran. Empress Elisabeth loved hiking in this region, which was then already a popular area for winter sport. Only a few kilometers from Trento travelers will find the garden city Levico Terme, styled after the K. & K. Monarchy (imperial and royal monarchy). Here Empress Elisabeth stayed in the Imperial Grand Hotel Terme, former imperial summer residence.