Europe is scattered with autonomous communities and states located inside bigger countries but which have distinctive identities. Perhaps the first such place that would pop into the minds of many is Catalonia, the populated section of Spain whose inhabitants see themselves as Catalan and not Spanish. But there are lesser-known and in a sense more complicated autonomous regions that few will have heard of.

One such state sits between Italy and Austria, high in the Dolomites and Italian Alps. South Tyrol, as it is known, straddles the Italian and Germaphone world, and while its inhabitants say they feel closer to all things German, the place has a distinct Italian feel which combines to create something entirely unique.