Chiostro dei Domenicani

The Dominican cloister is the only surviving part of a magnificent fourteenth-century monastery complex. This monastery was the heart of Bolzano’s spiritual, artistic and cultural life for centuries until its suppression in 1785. Between the medieval and rococo periods, the city’s leading families enthusiastically competed to adorn the large church, three cloisters and opulent chapels with frescoes by various Italian schools, almost as though they were taking part in their own “festival” of late Gothic and Giotto-influenced art! The monastery was bombed in the Second World War and reborn as Bolzano’s prestigious Monteverdi Conservatory, which works closely with the Hadyn Orchestra and Bolzano Danza. Musical notes escaping from the music rooms and fragments of old murals heighten the cloister’s cosy, intimate feel. Friedrich Pacher’s Annunciation, a complex and intriguing masterpiece rich in symbolism and mythological references is one of many surviving murals spanning different periods. This, along with the conservatory’s long tradition of instrumental music, makes it the perfect venue for sophisticated performances that blend dance with music.