High on my bucket list is Ötzi the Iceman, one of the most incredible discoveries in recent history. Two German hikers came across his mummified body in September 1991 when they took a shortcut in the Alps of the South Tyrol. By carbon dating, scientists have ascertained he is 5300 years old. He is so well preserved because he was covered with snow just after he died and later by ice. Because Ötzi was found so close to the Italian/Austrian border, a new survey of the border had to be carried out to determine whether the Austrians could claim ownership or the Italians. He was found just 92.56 metres on the Italian side of the border!! Today Ötzi is in a large room at the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology at Bolzano in Italy, in conditions equivalent to the glacier where he was found. A viewing window is set up so that all visitors can see him perfectly. He is regularly sprayed with sterile water to stop him drying out. The research on him is ongoing and changing as new technology is discovered. For instance his hat was found with him and at first it was thought to be made of bearskin but new DNA tests have suggested it is actually made of wolf fur! He was 45 years old when he died, give or take 5 years and 165cm tall. Scientists know that Ötzi was murdered as he has a flint arrowhead in his left shoulder blade. While it missed vital organs, it severed a major blood vessel causing him to bleed to death fairly quickly. He is missing two ribs which are not essential, he had no wisdom teeth, his nose had been broken at least once, his blood type was O+, he was lactose intolerant, he had whip worm eggs in his system which would have given him stomach aches and diarrhoea and he had two ticks in his coat which would have caused him to suffer violent itching! Scientists were amazed to discover that he suffered from some modern day diseases! He had mild osteoarthritis in his spine but his right knee would have caused him the most pain - it was almost completely worn down!! He also had pronounced atherosclerosis probably from eating too much animal fat! Cholesterol problems in the Copper Age!!! His tools were found with him - his bow and arrows and his axe, as well as the clothes he was wearing - a loin cloth, leggings, coat and hat. All these items are on display in specially made glass cubes. It is amazing to think all these things are 5300 years old - 3300BC! The 45 minute audiotape was fascinating to listen to and there are short videos throughout the museum. There were several school groups there as well as other tourists. Right at the end is a figure made by forensic specialists of what he would have looked like as a man. For me, it was a most interesting, fascinating and informative couple of hours. Even children are catered for with a hands-on section to feel and make items from the Copper Age. Bolzano is the capital city of the South Tyrol province of northern Italy. Until it was annexed from the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of World War I and handed over to Italy, the South Tyrol was German speaking. During the 1920s, Mussolini Italianized the whole of the area. Many shopkeepers greeted me in German and the bakeries and food shops have a definite German influence. But the gelato was definitely Italian....... For more information on and photos of Ötzi go to www.iceman.it The museum is a ten minute walk from Bolzano station Bolzano is on the main railway line in Italy. We travelled from Verona which took an hour and a half on a fast train. For Italian train information see www.trenitalia.com Book online for cheaper tickets. We stayed at Hotel Scalzi in Verona, two star, which is walking distance from Verona railway station We ate at Nastro Azzurro Vicolo Listone 4, Verona Delicious food, great service and not expensive. www.ristorantenastroazzurroverona.it