Located just 8 kilometres south of Bolzano, Laives (or Leifers) stands out as a demographic anomaly within South Tyrol. While it is the province's fourth-largest municipality, housing 16,909 residents, it remains one of only six towns where Italian is the primary language. This shift reflects a turbulent 19th and 20th-century transition from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Italy.
Officially designated a city in 1985, Laives is defined by the high bilingual proficiency of its locals. Residents switch effortlessly between Italian and German, offering visitors a living example of historical border-town adaptation just a short drive from the provincial capital.
Near Laives
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
