Prague

When I decided to leave for Prague it was the first days of December and the Immaculate Conception long weekend was approaching. It's rare that during these short holidays I manage to find the time to set off on little trips discovering European capitals, because to this passion is added the one for football which every Sunday keeps me busy in my team's league and.... leaving the changing room during yet another end-of-week battle wouldn't be a nice gesture....!!! Fortunately this year the first half of the season ended in time and.... this possibility opened up before me....

So what to do..?? Too little snow to put my skis on and time is running short to book something at the last minute....Copenhagen, Stockholm, Santa's Village in Finland....good heavens, what prices....and Prague??? There was the offer that suited me, I join a big group of 100 people leaving from Bergamo (I won't see them again until the return....) and set off for one of the most beautiful, gothic, mysterious cities in Europe...at least that's how I imagined it before leaving!! Well...first of all I immediately confirm my expectations...small, well kept, clean, quiet, charming, romantic......in short, a wonderful city.

The three days at my disposal I think were more than enough to explore it far and wide; of course....if I had joined one of the hundreds of groups scattered around the city I certainly wouldn't have seen so much but...by getting up early in the morning, by evening I had covered many miles and seen many beautiful things, among the famous monuments and the most hidden corners! Wandering freely through the Old Town (Stare mesto), the New Town (Nove Mesto), the small quarter (Mala Strana), the Jewish quarter and Hradcany (that is, where the castle is...) was truly wonderful; next to the crowds of tourists packed together with their heads tilted up to see the astronomical clock and the city's towers, there were places of absolute peace, isolation and quiet.

I certainly won't be the one to reveal the beauties of Charles Bridge, Wenceslas Square, the Old Town Square with the astronomical clock, Prague Castle with St Vitus Cathedral and the colourful Golden Lane, the Jewish quarter with its tradition and....emotion....

Some things have certainly stayed imprinted in my eyes, because, besides the extraordinary monuments I have just mentioned, I was pleasantly struck by the quality of life in the centre of Prague, the cleanliness of the streets, the colourful little shops (which always sell the same things....) but which attract with their liveliness, not to mention those little restaurants I literally fell in love with.....; there is an underground Prague, in the cellars of the old buildings they have made pubs, taverns, inns...soft lights...candles....for the romantics there's no denying it!! And the beer, the much-lauded Czech beer; I showed up at the first dinner in a restaurant asking for a small one (I've never been a big drinker...) the waitress, hiding a smile, brought me the first...then she had to come back for the second and....the third, really very good, light and absolutely delicate!! With th

e local cuisine I got on quite well, those soups with crunchy croutons....mmm....and then meat cooked in a thousand ways. Another myth that accompanies this city concerns nightlife and especially the "hard" one.

More than a myth it's a certainty given the number of limousines advertising night clubs cruising the streets; Before leaving home, anyone who knew me insulted or mocked me imagining which and how many evening adventures....well, I, obviously having purely travel and discovery aims, tried to make clear what my spirit of adventure is...and, at the end of the day, I can confirm that by evening, after walking like a mule all day, I always "shut myself down" in my room like a pensioner!! Among other things, that very evening when I would have liked to take a peek inside some Disco I had come across along the way....I go to my room at 6pm...set the alarm for 8.30pm and.....the alarm didn't go off.....feet on the floor just in time for the next day's breakfast!! Along the road to the airport, the various Prague 2,3,4,5,6.....you notice the difference in lifestyle and well-being; still many Sovi

et-Union-style blocks and in general, the features of a country slowly trying to lift itself out of a recent past full of hardship. I can only confirm the beauty of Prague; suited a bit to everyone, families, couples, travellers and....young people looking for adventures!