Bolzano
The beautiful hamlet-like town of Bolzano is located in Northern Italy. Steve Standridge and his family have started a new ministry there in hopes of starting an Evangelical Christian Church amidst this culturally diverse, and predominately Catholic, population. They have already made friends and connections in Bolzano and have had several opportunities to share their faith with the people there.
"According to the 2001 census, 73% of the city inhabitants were Italian speakers. Of the remainder, 26% speak German and 1% Ladin as their first language. The city thrives on a mix
of old and new—high-quality intensive agriculture (including wine, fruit and dairy products), tourism, traditional handicraft (wood, ceramics) and advanced services. Heavy industry (machinery, automotive, steel) installed during the 1930's has now been mostly dismantled. On the downside, the local economy is very dependent on the public sector, and especially the provincial government.
The city's Italian-Austrian character, enhanced by the narrow cobblestone streets, Habsburg-era churches and pervasive bilingual signage give it the unique flavor of a city at crossroads between Italian and Austrian cultures.
Bolzano has a population of 100,050." (Wikipedia)
Bolzano's oldest resident is Otzi the Ice Man. The ancient mummified man was found protruding from a glacier in 1991 and is displayed in an igloo-like case of ice tiles. He is the star of the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology.
The town center is closed to traffic after 10am and six days a week the main street is filled with market stalls. As Bolzano was built up between the 12th and 13th centuries, they are some of the longest running markets to be found anywhere.
"According to the 2001 census, 73% of the city inhabitants were Italian speakers. Of the remainder, 26% speak German and 1% Ladin as their first language. The city thrives on a mix
of old and new—high-quality intensive agriculture (including wine, fruit and dairy products), tourism, traditional handicraft (wood, ceramics) and advanced services. Heavy industry (machinery, automotive, steel) installed during the 1930's has now been mostly dismantled. On the downside, the local economy is very dependent on the public sector, and especially the provincial government. The city's Italian-Austrian character, enhanced by the narrow cobblestone streets, Habsburg-era churches and pervasive bilingual signage give it the unique flavor of a city at crossroads between Italian and Austrian cultures.
Bolzano has a population of 100,050." (Wikipedia) Bolzano's oldest resident is Otzi the Ice Man. The ancient mummified man was found protruding from a glacier in 1991 and is displayed in an igloo-like case of ice tiles. He is the star of the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology.
The town center is closed to traffic after 10am and six days a week the main street is filled with market stalls. As Bolzano was built up between the 12th and 13th centuries, they are some of the longest running markets to be found anywhere.
