Much of what makes Bolzano and the entire region of Northern Italy special is the preservation of many of its older architectural gems, which give the city its Old World charm. The Abbazia di Muri-Gries, or Muri Gries Abbey, is one such building located on one edge of Gries Square. The monastery’s first inhabitants were Augustine monks, who settled here in 1406. Later in the next century, the massive stone complex was heavily damaged because of peasant uprisings and fallout from the Napoleonic wars. Eventually, the buildings were given to Benedictine monks in the 19th century.
