The new ones will start from July 1st Ryanair flights from / to Vienna fromSan Francesco di Assisi airport in Umbria. A little over an hour by flight, it’s a trip not to be missed. Vienna is the European capital most in step with the concept of sustainability. Its 1.9 million inhabitants can count on 13,000 kilometers of cycle paths and a thousand parks. And the the second largest metropolis in the world for the quantity of greenery, 50% of its surface is green. Not only that, theEconomist crowned the Austrian capital for the third time as the most pleasant city in the world. Getting around the city, stopping in its corners, strolling in the parks and entering the less central districts until you reach the vineyard area, discovering a city that is breathable and to breathe. Even a mini tour can start right from capturing less usual aspects that add to the great attractions.
In looking for the lesser known, you can start from the sixth and seventh districts, Vienna is in fact divided into 23 geographical entities. It starts from Mariahilfer strasse to enter the area populated by artisans, artists, small producers who reserve curiosities and unique pieces. Here you can visit the shop of the restorer Herr Theuermann set on the ground floor of a large building, or peek into the Eva Blut handcrafted bag store, like stopping to try on the hats from the manufacturer Muhlbauer to whom stars such as Brad Pitt and Madonna turn. . Also in the area, a must stop at the Café Sperl, dated 1880. Elegant atmosphere, billiards and a great variety of desserts. Warnings: low tone of voice, extreme rigor in moving and knowing that the decisive attitude of the waiter dictates the mood. The Sacher slice is indispensable and deserves a separate chapter given its fascinating history that wants it to be invented in Vienna in 1812 and sweet with such success as to procure its creator international fame and huge fortunes, starting with the iconic hotel.
Arriving from the sixth to the first district there is the Museums quarter, along the Maria Theresia park with the two monumental buildings of the Kunsthistorisches museum and the Naturhistorisches museum on the side, in the first the imperial collections of Franz Joseph are preserved and the other is the Natural History museum. The Palmenhaus is enchanting, a greenhouse on the edge of the Burggarten, built around 1820, today also a restaurant. Nearby is the Albertina with its permanent collections and its temporary exhibitions. Here you will find works by Monet, Renoir, Cezane, Matisse, Mirò, Picasso, Munch and much more. Close by, it’s a kind of monumental novelty. You enter the Vienna of the contemporary with a visit to Open, 1,500 square meters of exhibition space that houses one of the highest-level private collections in Europe, that of patron Heidi Horten, who recently died at the age of 81 just a few days after the inauguration of the museum. Architecture, design and art come together in an experience that makes you feel.
A few more steps and you arrive at Stephanplatz: a must is a visit to the Cathedral of Santo Stefano which attracts 6 million visitors a year. Getting lost in the alleys behind the great cathedral is priceless, just as slowly exiting the square where the carriages pass (a tradition which the Viennese discuss whether to perpetrate it ed) and reach Mozart’s house, cross the courtyards, get up to see the houses railing, a fire safety system of yesteryear. Everything is really full of charm. As well as peeking into the old shops: from the clothes of the noble Knize, to the house of linen and lace of Mrs. Hanni Vanicek. An institution. In the streets of the big international brands, where on Saturday there are long queues to enter, you can see how in the city tradition, modernism and contemporaneity coexist. A curiosity: in the interiors of some buildings there are still paternoster systems, systems moving on a continuous ring of cabins, which are used to go up and down the floors. A system now considered dangerous but still much loved by the Viennese.
Then, stop in front of the eighteenth-century Plague column and arrive at one of the entrances of the royal palace, Hofburg, consisting of 18 courtyards, 200,000 square meters and 2,800 rooms, with the Sissi museum and the famous Spanish Riding School. A few steps away is the Opera House, the first building to be built on the Ringstrasse. In the Viennese ring there are splendid nineteenth-century buildings that have taken the place of the medieval walls that were dismantled by the Emperor Franz Joseph of Habsburg in order to expand the city.
Vienna is also the Secession, the exhibition palace from the avant-garde movement by Gustav Klimt against tradition that gave birth to new trends and modernism with the splendid examples of the architect Otto Wagner. He has signed eight subway stations. Architecturally noteworthy is the Hundertwasserhaus, a complex of popular nature houses built around the end of the 1980s by the ecological artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. To watch for hours.
It is worth reserving a whole morning for the Belvedere castle, a Unesco heritage site, and then crossing the Prater with its gigantic wheel and then, going from park to park, you can stroll along the banks of the Danube. There is no shortage of leisure and entertainment and you can stop and have lunch along the canal in places like the Motto am fluss. The Austrian capital should also be experienced at the table. In terms of dishes, it jealously preserves but also in this case does not renounce sustainability with zero-kilometer menus and use of ingredients according to new trends. A must to visit the Naschmarkt with its over 200 stalls and the flea market. Finally, the places to feel good on the outskirts of the city: thanks to their proverbial and friendly atmosphere, the Heurigers, with Viennese wine tastings, are typical. In short, if Paris is worth a mass, Vienna certainly deserves the flight.