“Here on the Renon it’s divinely beautiful,” wrote Sigmund Freud as he vacationed on the Renon mountain plateau above Bolzano in the summer of 1911. Il Renon, as it’s known in Italian, hovers above the regional capital of Alto Adige/South Tyrol at an altitude varying between 900 and 1300 meters, between the valleys of the Talvera and Isarco rivers, bordered to the north by the Corno del Renon, the highest mountain on the plateau (2261m) which affords great panoramic views of the Dolomites.

The delightfully quiet Renon plateau is such a contrast with the hustle and bustle of Bolzano, although it’s only separated by a quick trip via the spectacular Renon cable car, which, in 12 minutes, covers a 1,000-meter elevation gain (amazing views of Bolzano, the plateau itself and the mountains all around!), transporting you into a completely different atmosphere.