Brussels and Bruges

Discovering a city of unique charm, one of the most beautiful European capitals, rich in art, culture and history: Brussels, the queen of Belgium and seat of the European Parliament, was the birthplace of the famous architect and father of Art Nouveau, Victor Horta. There are numerous itineraries to discover, in a city on a human scale, not yet disfigured by mass tourism.. Departure from Pescara airport with a Ryanair flight at 15.55; at 18.00 sharp we arrive in Brussels; - Charleroi airport. From the airport you can take shared taxis with about 7 seats that cost 15 euro per person, 2 euro less than the shuttle bus (17 euro). The taxi takes less time than the bus to arrive; if there's no traffic you reach Brussels-Gare du Midi in 40 minutes. To reach the hotel from the Gare du Midi it's better to take a (simple) taxi, since you don't yet know the transport and stops well.

The hotel is the Catalonia on Avenue du Haut Pont in the St Gilles district, a good, clean, new hotel in an area served by transport (tram, bus, metro) that gets you to the city centre in just 15 minutes - Place Royale stop. Transport is a bit pricey; for 4 days it's a good idea to get a 10-trip carnet with the daily card, which can be topped up for 8-14 euro; Otherwise Brussels is not an expensive city: everything costs the same as in Italy, and you can eat well for little; It is advisable, however, to go in low season, because the hotels are decidedly expensive, and those in the city centre are prohibitive. Museum admission is always charged; only the visit to the European Parliament is free. To have all the information you need on transport for getting from one point of the city to another, you should get a map before departure, and above all look for a tourist office.

Near the Museum of Fine Arts, home of the Magritte Museum, there is one, where the staff also speak Italian. The spoken language is French, but a few words of English are enough to communicate with everyone. Main attractions in brief: the Grand Place, with its sumptuous late-Gothic buildings, enfolds you in a breathtaking embrace; it is a jewel in a casket, an enchanted dream from which it is hard to wake. It is surrounded by the guild houses, the Hôtel de Ville and the Maison du Roi. It is generally regarded as one of the most beautiful squares in the world; and there is no corner of this great European capital that does not enchant you with stage sets worthy of a theatre of wonders. You must fill your eyes and heart with so much beauty and enchantment so as never to forget them, since we are not lucky enough to enjoy them every day as its inhabitants do.

A few steps from the Grand Place you come across streets and side alleys that lead straight to the Grote Markt and to the Manneken-Pis, a bronze statue about fifty centimetres high, located in Brussels' historic centre. This statue is the symbol of the independent spirit of Brussels' inhabitants. Needless to say, in this area the souvenir shops see the Manneken-Pis as the undisputed symbol, portrayed in a thousand forms: from the figurine in every size to take home for a few euro to the life-size statues placed outside chocolate shops and ice-cream parlours.... Our guidebook (Marco Polo) marks a visit to the Comic (cartoon) Museum as an important stop, perhaps more for the Art Nouveau building designed by Horta (an old textile warehouse) than for the museum itself, which is rather disappointing and could be done better.

Much more interesting is the Toy Museum on Rue de l'Association - Metro Botanique. Here hundreds of toys from every era are displayed across three floors: the collection of teddy bears and soft toys, and the black dolls, is beautiful. A hubbub of children scampering undisturbed from one room to another brings the old playthings back to life, still capable of conveying enthusiasm and joy to children of every era, but to us adults too. HORTA MUSEUM HOUSE - The Horta museum house is in the St Gilles district, a step from our hotel, on Rue de l'Américaine; the residence of the famous architect Victor Horta, father of Belgian Art Nouveau, it has a delightful facade characterised by soft, sinuous lines.

The interior, with its large circular staircase, period furnishings and the rooms and small rooms overlooking a charming inner garden, gives back the intimate domestic quiet of a bourgeois family of the Belgian upper class, to which Horta had rightly gained entry thanks to his undisputed talent. You almost seem to glimpse Horta wandering from one room to another, busy in his study drawing and designing, a little disturbed by all those curious guests who have invaded his house. Everything is perfectly preserved and it seems as though time has never passed. Atomium: a visit to the Atomium is a must - a large steel structure built for the 1958 Expo, it stands near the Heysel stadium, to the north-west of the city. You reach it in less than 10 minutes by metro from Gare Centrale. The Atomium reproduces the structure of the atom, the steel spheres being the molecules.

A lift takes you up inside the highest sphere (92 m) and you can admire a breathtaking panorama over the whole of Brussels.