The itinerary that takes in discovering the wines of Alto Adige is in two sections.
The first runs west from Bolzano, capital of South Tyrol and economic hub of the entire neighbouring region, to Merano and then the Venosta valley.
The second runs the other way, eastwards along the Isarco valley as far as the Pusteria valley. The road out of Bolzano to the north east leads directly to the Isarco valley, where the lowest pergola-trained rows of vines benefit from the waters of the eponymous river that has its origins in the heights of the Brenner pass; there are few built-up areas and houses are scattered thinly around the country. The destination is the splendid town of Bressanone, and nearby Varna, where the imposing abbey of Novacella can be found in the centre of a magnificent amphitheatre of vines.