Why we chose Merano for our Italian elopement
We didn't plan to elope.
We planned to get married in Ortisei.
We had been coming to Val Gardena since 2010, and getting married there seemed like the obvious choice. It was the place that had changed how we travelled, the place we kept returning to and the place that already felt like home.
Then, just months before we were due to leave, I changed my mind.
I couldn't completely explain it then and I'm not sure I can now.
I didn't want the Dolomites to overshadow our wedding.
The mountains are so dramatic that I worried our photographs would become more about the scenery than about us. I wanted the day to feel personal rather than spectacular.
It probably sounds irrational.
It probably was.
But it was how I felt, and my husband, to his credit, didn't try to change my mind.
Trusting someone else
We were working with a wedding planner, and after listening to what I was trying to describe, she suggested somewhere I'd barely heard of.
Merano.
At the time there was very little information available in English, so I had no real way of researching it properly.
I simply had to trust her.
Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we ever made.
Discovering Merano
We stayed at Schloss Korb, a castle hotel surrounded by vineyards.
We had a picnic among the vines.
We were married in the Princes’s Castle in Merano.
Our wedding dinner was served on a terrace overlooking vineyards, mountains and the valley below.
Our photographs were taken at Lake Caldaro, through the surrounding countryside and high above Merano itself.
It was perfect.
Not because everything went exactly to plan—I honestly can't remember whether it did.
It was perfect because it felt like us.
The setting was beautiful without overwhelming the day itself.
Looking back, I think I was right.
The Dolomites would have dominated the photographs.
Merano gave us all the beauty of South Tyrol while allowing the wedding itself to remain the focus.
If Merano is somewhere you’re considering for your own trip, my Merano Travel Guide explains what the town is actually like, what to do and how long I think you need there.
Then we went back to the Dolomites
Our honeymoon, of course, was in Val Gardena.
It wouldn't have felt right to be that close and not return to the mountains we'd already fallen in love with.
After our time there we continued on to Verona before finishing the trip in Switzerland.
It felt like the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of married life.
Merano became part of our story
Something unexpected happened on that wedding trip.
We fell in love with Merano.
Not as a replacement for the Dolomites—nothing has ever replaced the Dolomites—but as somewhere completely different and equally worth getting to know.
Merano has an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the region.
Palm trees line elegant promenades.
The surrounding vineyards stretch towards the mountains.
The architecture blends Austrian grandeur with Italian elegance, reflecting South Tyrol's unique history and culture.
The food is exceptional.
The spa culture is deeply rooted.
It's a place that encourages you to slow down.
That contrast is exactly why Merano works so well alongside a mountain trip. I’ve written more about the difference in South Tyrol vs the Dolomites: What’s the difference and where should you stay?.
Today, I often recommend adding a few nights in Merano before or after a Dolomites trip. It offers a completely different side of South Tyrol while still being within easy reach of the mountains.
If you're considering visiting, my free Merano Guide covers where to stay, spa hotels and how I would structure your time there.
Looking back
I discovered Merano in much the same way I discovered the Dolomites.
Through limited information.
A recommendation I trusted.
And the pleasant surprise of finding somewhere that exceeded every expectation.
I've returned many times since.
I've taken my parents there.
I've watched more international visitors slowly discover it.
And I still think it's one of the most underrated places in northern Italy.
It will always be the place where we got married on a September afternoon overlooking vineyards.
But it also became the place that introduced me to another side of South Tyrol—one that I now recommend to many of my clients.
Thinking about adding Merano to your Dolomites trip?
Merano works best when it has a clear purpose in the itinerary. It can be a slower start, a softer ending, or a way to experience South Tyrol beyond the mountains.
If you want to plan it yourself, my free Merano guide will help you understand where to stay, what to do and how much time to give it.
If you want help combining Merano with the Dolomites, my trip planning services can help you choose the right bases, avoid unnecessary backtracking and build a trip that flows.
