Via dei Portici (Laubengasse in German) is the oldest commercial street in Bolzano, a medieval arcade that runs through the heart of the old town. The low arches — characteristic of South Tyrolean Gothic architecture — shelter the pavement from rain and sun, and the street has been a shopping street since the Middle Ages. Today it mixes local shops, good food stores, cafés, and the occasional tourist trap.
The atmosphere is lively and genuinely local; this is where Bolzano residents come to shop, eat lunch, and meet. The piazza at the northern end opens to the weekly market, and the whole street is pedestrianised. A morning walk through Via dei Portici, with a stop for a coffee in one of the arcaded cafés, is one of the pleasures of the city.