Parco Ducale

The Ducal Park is an oasis of tranquillity popular with young families, set in Bolzano’s distinguished Gries district, which still feels like a village. The park was also one of the first venues for Bolzano Danza at the dawn of the festival in the mid-1980s. The Gries district became a popular summer resort towards the end of the nineteenth century and was visited by key personalities of the Hapsburg Empire. Luxury hotels and lavish villas began to spring up. This small park nestling among the vineyards boasts paths adorned with classical vases, a fountain and a small lake with swans. Notable trees include cedar, oleander, and subtropical plants. The Ducal Park is located in the remains of Villa Wendtland’s magnificent garden. This luxurious neo-renaissance home, built by a wealthy German in 1872, was demolished by the fascist regime to make way for a pompously named Ducal Palace for the Prince of Pistoia, Prince Filiberto Lodovico Massimiliano of Savoy. This elegant and soberly classical building – one of the city’s most interesting examples of twentieth-century architecture – serves as a backdrop for local children as they delight in various games, including a fun obstacle course to help them develop their motor skills. Bolzano Danza has a special connection to the park. Some of the festival’s first events – courses and classical dance performances – took place here in 1985–1886, at the very beginning of the festival. Today, as spectators of all ages watch on, joyous and playful contemporary dance performances showcase this venue’s subtle charm.