Merano

A municipality in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located in a mountain basin at the entrance to the Passeier Valley and Vinschgau. The area has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC, as evidenced by menhirs and other prehistoric finds. In 15 BC, the Romans established a road station called Statio Maiensis in the Adige valley, and the fortified settlement Maiense castrum later developed around Castel San Zeno. First documented as "Mairania" in an 857 AD deed, Merano is today best known for its spa resorts and its proximity to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, which houses Otzi the Iceman.