Vienna and the art of good living

Last-minute trip: we take the car and in exactly 8 hours (800 km from Reggio Emilia) we arrive right in the centre, at Karlsplatz, where we park in an underground car park for 10 euros a day. We then go to our apartment, practically in the centre, which is nothing short of beautiful: modern, clean, well furnished and equipped with every comfort, all for the modest price of 70 euros a day! Feeling energised and comforted by lovely sunshine, we head straight into the centre to enjoy the sunset over one of the most romantic cities in Europe. We immediately see the Staatsoper, Vienna's most beautiful and famous theatre, near which you can see the "stars" with the names of the most important composers in history imprinted on the asphalt. From here we continue straight along Kärntner Strasse, the street of shops and fashion that leads straight to the beautiful St.

Stephen's Cathedral, a true Gothic masterpiece. After lingering in the centre for a while, we decide to eat in a typical Viennese brewery in the Jewish quarter called Kra Kra: excellent food, excellent beer and modest prices. The second day, a lovely sunny morning encourages us to set off right after breakfast in our apartment. We start with a visit to Neuer Markt square, where Vienna's most beautiful fountain (the Donner) and the Capuchin church are located; we then move on to St. Stephen's Cathedral, including the interior, where you can visit the tomb of Emperor Frederick III, the beautiful organ, and the catacombs.

Once outside, we continue towards the back of the cathedral, where Mozart's house is located, and then towards Hoher Markt, where the beautiful Anker clock stands: a carillon with 12 statues that parade at 12.00! From here we went towards the very characteristic Jewish quarter, where Vienna's oldest church is located, the Church of St. Rupert dating back to the 8th century AD. We then continued towards Passauer Platz, where the beautiful Church of Maria am Gestade stands, one of the oldest in Vienna, from the 12th century. From here you go down a nice flight of steps and arrive in Am Hof square, lovely and romantic in typical Habsburg style, with its Baroque church from the 14th century. We then continue towards the Freyung, a beautiful square with a "Scottish" church and very beautiful Baroque buildings.

After a few photos we go a few metres away to Minoritenplatz, where the Church of the Friars Minor stands, in French Gothic style from the 13th century, truly beautiful with an inlaid entrance door rich in ornamentation. After all these visits we allow ourselves an hour's break at the beautiful Café Central, a historic Viennese café from 1876 where you breathe the literary air that made it famous; it's worth a visit. Refreshed, we continued towards the Hofburg, one of the most important imperial palaces in Vienna, which dates back to the 13th century and was the centre of Austrian power for more than six centuries; here we stopped for a while in the gardens outside and in front of the beautiful National Library.

From here we then continued towards the Burgtheater and then in sequence towards the beautiful Austrian Parliament, the extraordinary Rathaus, which was once the Gothic-style building of Vienna's city hall, the University and the gigantic Votivkirche! To end the day we passed through the Graben, the most exclusive fashion street in Vienna, with beautiful buildings and shops, at the centre of which stands the Plague Column commissioned by Emperor Leopold I at the end of the 1680 plague. WE THEN FINALLY WENT BACK HOME, TOOK A SHOWER AND WENT BACK INTO THE CENTRE FOR A NICE DINNER AT THE BERMUDA BRAU RESTAURANT. The third day we were woken by a grey, grey day, but armed with good will we started right away by seeing the Art Nouveau Naschmarkt market, with the "Secession" building next to it, an Austrian movement comparable to Art Nouveau in Italy and Liberty in England.

This market is very popular with the Viennese, very characteristic, and worth a stop. From here we continued towards the MuseumsQuartier, where all the most important museums of Vienna are located, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum, perhaps the greatest in Vienna, in front of which there's a beautiful fountain in honour of Empress Maria Theresa. Given the grey weather, we then entered the Hofburg to see the Kaiser's apartments, and the rooms where the famous Princess Sissi lived! All very beautiful; these are sumptuously furnished rooms, with porcelain, cutlery, clothes, everything that testified that the Habsburg dynasty was an example of great luxury and refinement.

The last part of the day we dedicated to a visit to the Prater, where the 1897 Ferris wheel, 65 metres high, stands, and which must be considered a true leisure haunt of the Viennese, where you can eat, drink and stroll. The fourth day was the day of departure for Italy, but before leaving, until midday, we decided to take a little time to buy some gifts, including Sacher cakes to take home, and to first visit the beautiful and gigantic Karlskirche, the Church of Charles Borromeo, which was erected in the 18th century. We then went to the Belvedere, built between the late 1600s and early 1700s. The palace is divided into two buildings, the Upper Belvedere and the Lower Belvedere, separated from each other by a lovely garden; it absolutely deserves a visit! Here our trip ends: we take the car and head back towards Italy.

Vienna, for its beauty and the good living it shows, truly deserves a trip!