One Of Rick Steves' Favorite Hideaways In Italy Is A Town That Doesn't Speak Italian At All

If you're planning a trip to Italy, it's usually a great idea to learn some essential words and phrases in Italian — but there's one town where you're better off saying guten tag than ciao. The South Tirol region of Italy is well worth a visit for its beautiful scenery and fascinating blend of cultures. This entire region has deep German roots, and according to travel expert, tour guide, and world traveler Rick Steves, the best town to visit if you want to get the best of this little slice of Germany in the Italian countryside is Castelrotto, known as Kastelruth to German-speakers. On his website Rick Steves' Europe, Steves stated: "Though this town was built for farmers, not vacationers, it has good bus connections, fine and friendly hotels, and more village character than any town around."

This area has a combination of influences from Italian, German, and Ladin, a unique culture found in the Dolomite region of Italy. While you walk through this picturesque town, nestled in the impressive Dolomite Mountains, you'll hear at least three languages — and if you're lucky, even a little English. There's a lot to love about Kastelruth, and it's easy to see why an experienced traveler like Steves would be enchanted by it. As he wrote on his website, "With its traffic-free center, a thousand years of history, an oversized and hyperactive bell tower, and traditionally clad locals, it seems of another world."

When you walk along Kastelruth's cobblestone streets, between perfect little white houses looking out at the mountains, you won't be able to avoid seeing its most impressive feature: the bell tower. Even indoors, you won't be able to forget it. This absolutely enormous bell rings out every hour on the hour from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. As noted by Rick Steves, you'll probably also see some wooden carvings of witches as you explore the town. As quirky as they may seem, they harken back to a darker time in this region, when there were witch trials, persecuting local people as witches. Unlike in Salem, Massachusetts, here, it really was the practice to burn suspected witches at the stake.

Travelers who are foodies know that underrated Italian cities can have the best food, but the same can be true of small towns. While there's unlikely to be any classic Italian cuisine here, the German influence makes for some tasty specialties that you won't want to miss during your visit. On his website, Steves recalled: "Wurst and sauerkraut are Tirolean clichés — more adventurous eaters seek out Speck, a raw, prosciutto-style ham smoked for five months, then thinly sliced and served as an antipasto or in sandwiches. Large dumplings — with bits of Speck, liver, spinach, or cheese — are often served in sauce or with butter and cheese."

The Dolomites are a massive, rugged, and snow-covered mountain range, perfect for exhilarating skiing trips, heart-pounding mountain climbing expeditions, or simply walking the trails to experience the natural beauty of the region. If you're planning a breathtaking hiking trip through the Dolomites but don't love the idea of spending your nights in a tent in an authorized campsite, you're going to need somewhere to call home while you're away. On his website, Rick Steves described Kastelruth as "the ideal home base for exploring the Dolomites."

When you're staying in Kastelruth, you're less than 20 minutes' drive away from the breathtaking Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi region. Dotted with wildflowers in the warm weather, this is Europe's Largest High-Alpine Meadow. As you walk through this incredible landscape, in the shadow of misty mountains, you might see golden eagles swooping overhead. If you want to see some of the most incredible towering jagged cliffs in the Dolomites region, the Sciliar-Catinaccio Nature Park is also less than a half an hour's drive from Kastelruth.