Lana has 11,251 inhabitants between Bolzano and Merano, at the mouth of the Ultental. When at the beginning of the twentieth century the place names of South Tyrol were Italianised wholesale, hundreds of names were translated or simply invented: Lana is one of only three comuni in the province that came out of the operation with its name untouched, together with Gais and Plaus. It is in any case a much older name, recorded in 1034 as Lóina and most probably derived from a Latin Leonianum, "Leo's land". The arms carry the black cross of the Teutonic Order and the red lion of the counts of Brandis.
Two things have come out of this village of apples that are known far beyond the valley. The first is chloroquine, for decades the main weapon against malaria: it was discovered by Hans Andersag, a chemist born at Lana in 1902. The second is on the supermarket shelves of half the world, and it is Zuegg, the juice and jam company whose family roots are here. To fruit growing the village has dedicated a museum, opened in 1990 inside the Larchgut residence.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Lana
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
