The Medieval Age is stuck on the Baltic Sea.. Tallinn, Harjumaa

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During my recent stay in Helsinki I had hoped to be able to redo a quick visit to Tallinn, capital of the Republic of Estonia. For several reasons we are not successful but, still, three years ago I was there already, even then, for professional reasons, for four days and in fact all that was interesting to see in this beautiful city, I had already seen .

Indeed Tallinn is located in front of Helsinki, separated by about seventy miles of sea, which is very well connected with many ferry trips a day (about 3 ½ hours of travel) and high-speed catamarans (about 1 hour and middle), as well as flights and helicopter. Not working that Sunday, the catamaran service, seven-hour ferry between return, would have occupied the little time I had available and it was not the case to go by plane or helicopter (20 minutes), as well or male was a city that had already seen.

A consistent way of linking the service is justified by the fact that, in practice, Tallinn is becoming what we might call a "dependance" of Helsinki. In recent years has been a consistent and substantial investment that companies have made in Finland to Tallinn, benefiting from the improved economic conditions in Estonia. This happens not because Estonia is a poor country (although there is some difference between the coastal zone (especially the area of Tallinn) and the rest of the country, but why is Finland for carissima. To give a 'practical idea, just remember that many Finns are to be spending in Tallinn, buying among other things, very common products such as beer.

Tallinn is undoubtedly a very nice town that has managed to preserve its very good small and beautiful medieval Old Town (considered universal heritage by UNESCO) is almost as if time had not passed, in practice a small island besieged by fate in recent quarters cinquantanni of Soviet domination, so constructed so as to create an anonymous feeling of sadness that I had rarely experienced before. Also in Tallinn, as indeed I have seen done in Riga, is a cost regeneration of both areas immediately adjacent to the historic center, both of the buildings abandoned by the Soviet authorities (in particular military barracks), which are processed mainly earmarked for public or commercial.

The historical and artistic heritage of this city is almost all contained in the medieval center and is truly beautiful. I will limit myself only to emphasize some points totally missed visiting the medieval city: the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Toompea Castle, the Market Square with the Municipal Palace and the clock tower. Among the many museums, do not forget to visit the Civic Museum of Tallinn, where the exhibits on display covering all the seven hundred years of life, from 1290 to the present day. Interesting is also the visit to the botanical garden which has an area of over 120 hectares with more than 8,000 varieties of plants. A significant savings you get by buying the Tallinn Card, which entitles you to travel on public transport, the entrances to all museums and other places of historical interest, to discounts at restaurants and shops and also to tour the city. E 'una carta per hour, available from 6, 24, 48 E72 hours at a cost that ranges from 3.83 euros for the 6 hours to 20.77 euros for the 72 hours.

When I was in Tallinn I stayed all ' "Olümpia Hotel", located in what was to become the center of the city, quite close to the historical center, built at the Moscow Olympics of 1980 (took place in Tallinn Olympic races) but completely renovated in the mid-nineties. A hotel of at least twenty floors (if I remember correctly) from which you have a beautiful panorama of the old city and the Gulf of Finland. Undoubtedly a prestigious hotel, which has housed the CEKO President Havel, the UN's secretary general Kofi Annan, and Hillary Clinton, and costs at around 150 euros for a standard room. At the hotel there is the "Bonnie & Clyde", certainly the best nightclub in Tallinn. However, if I had to return to Tallinn for tourism, I think that would give preference to a hotel that is in the old town.

There are also some excellent local restaurants, although the best of Tallinn is universally regarded as the Italian restaurant "Casanova." In addition to the restaurant "Olde Hansa", I also remember a very good restaurant "Maiasmokk" in Pikk 16, in the medieval city, perhaps the oldest of Tallinn being open since 1864. Of this restaurant I remember a strange but very good soup, very creamy, made with cheese and shrimp with crispy croutons and roast moose, this one with cream cheese and baked potatoes. We drank good wine Estonian, but I remember that in the list there were several labels of Italian wines.

Public transport is satisfactory, the taxi number and at a reasonable cost. The official language is Estonian, but English is fairly widespread (though perhaps the most spoken language is Russian since, I think, a good half of the population is quell'etnia). The best way to reach Tallinn from the plane is, of course. There are connections with Milan and Rome SAS (and continue to Stockholm with Air Baltic) and Finnair via Helsinki. Tallinn Airport is only 5 kilometers from the city. In summary, I would be in trouble for a moment to advise a trip to an exclusive visit to Tallinn, but in case of travel which might already include cities like Helsinki or Riga, Tallinn is an extension not to be missed.