Venice to Bolzano?

If you are driving, you can go in a couple of hours. It is out of the way from the route to Florence but if you have a night to spend and then go on the next day, I think it would be worth it. While traveling with sister and her husband, I spent two nights there (actually Castelrotto nearby). We enjoyed the archeological museum there where the iceman Oetzi is. It was well set up and had lots of interesting displays.

The area is also interesting in that it is very different from Italy. It was once a province of Austria who lost it after WOrld War I--the consequence of being on the losing side. The area is bi-lingual (Italian and German). The architecture, food and dress are all reminiscent of Austria. We were in Castelrotto during a village festival and nearly all the women were dressed in dirndls and the men in Austrian looking traditional suits.