Innsbruck is just over three-hours drive from where I live in Italy, so I am lucky that I can pop up there often. Dubbed “alpine-urban” I find this university city fun, hip, and culturally sophisticated with an artistic vibe. With majestic snow-capped mountains this area is the ultimate winter playground if you like a snow vacation for skiing, snowboarding, etc. The area was once the hunting grounds for the Hapsburg emperor Maximilian and Empress Maria Theresa, so there are many visible remnants from their rich splendor past. If you are interested in wine, food, art, and history then stay tuned because I would love to share my Innsbruck experience with you. I usually stay at the Hilton or my favorite the Central Café hotel, a building that dates from 1884, in the heart of historic Old Town. This three-block radius holds all the museums, cafés, restaurants, and wine bars that interest me within my short periods of stay. Innsbruck has many beautiful churches that are worth a look, so if you walk further down towards the river you will come upon Cathedral St. Jacob a historically significant feature of Old Town. Once inside I could only marvel at the astonishing display of gold. Gold, gold, gold-gold alter, gold high alter stand, and aristocratic families’ gold chapels. The opulence reminds me of the vast rich Hapsburg Empire. The baroque style Cathedral is in Cathedral Square, a quiet solicitude little square, where I can take a respite on the bench and remind myself that this was once the church of the Innsbruck nobility. One memorable thought as I sat on that little park bench admiring the Cathedral façade and listening to the soothing melody from the 6pm church bells was how appreciative I am to live in Europe. Another impressive sign of Hapsburg wealth is the magnificent gold and silver intricate engraved tomb of Emperor Maximilian located in the Court Church. Considered to be the most important historical monument in Tyrol, the large tomb is decorated with scenes of the Emperor’s life and the elaborate gallery showcases live size marble and bronze statues representing the Emperor ancestors and his heroes of antiquity. The Schloss Ambras Castle/museum has spectacular views of the city. Overwhelmed with vast Empire wealth, I needed to balance my museum tours with how the other half had lived. Very good examples are seen at The Tyrolean State Museum because its permanent collection includes medieval objects, historical musical instruments, and many interesting local artifacts. Speaking of musical icons Mozart stayed in the famous “Weisses Kruez” inn along the main promenade in Old Town. Innsbruck showcases pride in their traditional culture and to fully appreciate the Tyrol local heritage head to the Museum of Tyrolean Regional Heritage. Folk lore is quite interesting and holds exceptional facets of Tyrolean culture. If you appreciate contemporary art there are many modern galleries around to showcase local talent. There are great examples of old meets new architecture at The Innsbruck Contemporary Art Museum that features rotating temporary exhibitions. Between museum and gallery hopping I must take time out to reflect and appreciate this beautiful city by popping into cafés and restaurants throughout the day. Innsbruck’s gastronomic delights range from traditional foods to ethnic bites to trendy fusion cuisine and I assure that you will never get bored of the same cafés and restaurants. One of my favorite things to start my day is take in the old-world ambience of a quintessential Venetian coffee house, adjacent to my hotel, Central Café for a cappuccino and pastry. The décor includes beautiful shiny crystal chandlers, Swarovski no doubt, that hang from the ceiling. BTW, the Swarovski museum is worth a visit. With a casual no rush vibe, I comfortably hang out at the coffee house and peacefully read my guide book. The local pastry Kiachl is a typical pastry that can be prepared sweet or savory. Depending on the time of day determines how I prefer to order a style of Kiachl. The mornings I prefer the sweet Kiachl style filled with marmalade and tasty with my coffee. Later in the day, for an afternoon snack, I will order the savory Kiachl prepared with sauerkraut and pair it with an Austrian white wine such as Gruner Veltliner or Muller Thurgau. One of my favorite restaurants, to eat, sip, and be amused watching the tourists take selfie pics around the ‘Golden Roof’, is “Altstadt Beisl”. I love their delicious soups such as Tafelspitzsuppe mit Tiroler Speckknodel paired with an Austrian red wine Zweigelt. To end my day, I stop in a neighborhood for a night cap on the way back to my hotel. A little neighborhood corner wine bar ‘La Cantina’ serves Italian wines, you can take me out of Italy, but you can’t Italy out of me.
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Grape EdVentures™The Delong 100 Grape Varietal Challenge encourages all wine enjoyers to expand their wine drinking horizon by seeking out unusual grape varieties. These past few years, I have tasted over 180 grape varieties. After all, there are over thousands of grape varieties world wide. With so many wine grapes, styles of wine, and wineries to explore, wine is an educational adventure. So grab your virtual passport and come along with me on a Grape EdVenture™ around the world. Archives
December 2023
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