Virtuoso Life - September/October 2017 - 37
ADVERTISEMENT Exquisitely AUSTRIAN Austria's past is dizzying. On Vienna's looping Ringstrasse boulevard, history swirls alongside tramways and horsedrawn carriages, magnificent Baroque palaces, frieze-trimmed Neoclassical colonnades, Biedermeier mansions, and oblong Art Nouveau facades. In Austria, history comes alive, not just in places like the patchwork carousel of the Ringstrasse, but also in mountain fortresses, subterranean salt mines, lakeshore towns, and old-world villages - all veritable time capsules that let you skip through the centuries. Start your morning in the gilded halls of an Imperial palace, grab lunch at a medieval inn that cooks from 400-year-old recipes, and end with a Strauss concert in a turn-of-the-century coffeehouse. These moments of living tradition make Austria a perfect destination for travelers who want a more refined taste of local culture. Vienna, and Salzburg in particular, offer a wealth of exclusive experiences that connect you with the cities' rich pasts. Their unaffected elegance and polished, but energizing atmospheres Photo credits, top to bottom: Otto Wagner's Court Pavilion © Wolfgang Thaler; Horse-Drawn Carriage at Michaelertor © WienTourismus / Peter Rigaud impart a striking sense of place for all who visit. Experience the bustle of daily life and immerse yourself in a world of music, art, food, and history that is uniquely, exquisitely, Austrian. www.austria.info