ASIANOVERLAND.NET WINTER EUROPEAN DAY 41/214:  VENICE TO KROSSBACK, AUSTRIA

“21-1-81 AUSTRIAN TYROL

We drive through the Italian Tirolo into the Austrian Tyrol over the Brenner pass on the Italy/Austria border. A winter wonderland, snow everywhere, so we decide to go skiing at Stubaier Glacier, the largest glacier snowfields in Austria, and wine and dine at Café Sportalm, Krossbach. Great skiing.

Tyrol is a historical region in the Alps in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, from its formation in the 12th century until 1919.

The earliest archaeological records of human settlement in Tyrol have been found in the Tischofer Cave, from the Palaeolithic age, about 28,000-27,000 BP. The same cave has also yielded evidence of human occupation during the Bronze Age (2000–1000 BC).

In 1991, the mummified remains of a man who had died around 3300-3100 BC were discovered in a glacier in the Ötztal Alps, in Tyrol. Researchers have called him Ötzi (and also other names, including "The Iceman"). He lived during the Copper Age, after humans had learned how to exploit copper but before making bronze. His body and belongings were very well-preserved, and have been subjected to detailed scientific study. They are preserved in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy.

There is evidence that Tyrol was a centre for copper mining in the 4th millennium BC.

Tyrol began to be noted in Roman written records in 450 BC. The inhabitants may have been Celts. There are also indications that Adriatic Veneti were present in the south of the Tyrol region. The Romans called them Rhaetians; although it is not clear whether that meant a specific tribe or confederation of tribes, or was a broader term for the inhabitants of the area. They made wine barrels, an idea which the Romans took from them, and had their own alphabet.

The Stubai Alps (Stubaier Alpen) is a mountain range which derives its name from the Stubaital valley, southwest of Innsbruck, Austria. Several peaks form the border between Austria and Italy. The range is bounded by the Inn River valley to the north; the Sill River valley (Wipptal) and the Brenner Pass to the east.

Compulsory photo-stop, snowball fights, skiing, and generally taking advantage of the fact that this is a WINTER European trip, at a time of year when the beaches aren't the greatest place to be.

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