Fantastic Fink

The Cafe Fink is one of my favorite cafes in Europe, though–full disclosure–I’ve only been to around a thousand of them. It is strategically situated at the top of the spectacular funicular  that runs from Bolzano/Bozen to Sopra Bolzano/Ober Bozen (“Upper Bolzano:). One uses both Italian and German designations because, while part of Italy, everyone there speaks German and has a strong Tyrolean identity. The region known as Trento-Alto Adige to Italians is known by many of the inhabitants as Süd Tyrol. It is a region that once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but was lost to Italy after the First World War. The locals are still not too happy about that. I came upon a separatist rally last week when I was there. But, back to the Fink. Sigmund Freud used to hike around here, apparently, and there’s a trail named after him. One talks about one’s childhood, I imagine, while walking on it. The Fink is merely 15 meters from the cable-car station, and as many from the precious little train station where the 100-year-old Rittnerbahn railway begins (see above).