Bruneck

BRUNECK, ITALY BY GIULIA NERI:

There is a lot to love about the quaint town of Bruneck. Nestled below the cascading mountains of the Puster Valley in the Italian province of south Tyrol, the town is home to just over 16,000 locals. Neat houses line the streets and you can hear the river close by.

“I love the colours and details of the houses. I fell in love with them when I first arrived in this small town,” illustrator Giulia Neri says. Just as you’d expect from a small town, Neri recalls the greetings and smiling people passing by. She loved the city as a tourist so much, she moved to Bruneck.

“It’s the beginning of my second life. I came here on vacation for the last three years and every year I stayed longer. One day, as my vacation was almost over, I decided to stay without

thinking of the life I had previously. It was here where I wanted to stay and live, and so I stayed with my summer luggage.”

“I come from a big city in Bologna, full of people who live their life fast, who go shopping or walking on Sundays, who can go to thesupermarket at 11pm if they need. Here, everything’s closed on Sundays and on Saturdays the shops close at 6pm.The town goes empty.”

It is during this peaceful silence that Neri suggests a walk through the town centre with a sparkling apple juice in hand, herfavourite local beverage. When the centre is bustling however, Aperitivo hour at WINK’s is a must (is there anything more Italian?)as is the elegant restaurant of Bernadi and Weisses Lamm.

Neri recalls a “softer” lockdown in Bruneck compared to the rest of Italy but during her time at home she learnt the importance of going outdoors.

“During the first lockdown I stayed home for a long time,” she says. “I don’t remember for how long, but it was long. Lockdowns after the first were softer, because we were allowed to go out for a walk, even if that wasn’t possible in other regions.”

“Just go into the nature, wherever it is, and breathe,” the artist says.

Follow Giulia Neri @Julandthefox

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