Just a few miles south of the Austrian border, Merano (also called Meran) is an old spa town. About half the residents here speak German, the other half Italian. Take a dip in one of the thermal baths, or try Merano’s famous “grape cure” by imbibing - what else? - lots of grapes. The South Tyrol Museum of Tourism is located in Trauttmansdorff Castle, the former holiday pad of Austria’s Empress Elisabeth. Merano 2000, a ski resort that’s actually in the village of Hafling, is linked by cable car.