Vienna City Facts with Incantato Tours

Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area, more than 25% of Austria's population), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union. Vienna is host to many major international organizations such as the United Nations and OPEC. Vienna lies in the east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 2005 an Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it first, equal with Vancouver, for the highest quality of life. This assessment was mirrored by the Mercer Survey in 2009. Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including theater, opera, classical music and fine arts. 

Historical Czech Republic with Incantato Tours

The Czech Republic is situated  in the center of Europe, sharing borders with Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. The country boasts an impressive total of twelve UNESCO World Heritage sites, among which are the historic center of Prague and the town of Cesky Kurmlov. Known personalities of European and world science and art such as Beethoven, Casanova, Einstein, Goethe, Kafka, and Mozart were influenced by or were in some way connected with Czech history.
The capital city of Prague has a population of around 1,213,400 and is situated on hills overlooking the Vltava River. The historic Old Town, with its winding streets, is more than ten centuries old and centers around the Old Town Square with the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn and the Old Town Hall with the famous astronomical clock. Not far away is the Charles Bridge, one of the oldest stone bridges in Central Europe. Perched above the city sits Prague Castle, the ancient residence of the kings of Bohemia. Across from it is Petrin Hill, where you can have a stunning view of the city from the lookout point in the form of a smaller version of Paris' Eiffel Tower. 
Of course experiencing the cuisine will also be a part of your journey. Influenced by German and Austro-Hungarian culinary heritage, Czech food features a great variety of dishes. Possibly the most traditional dish is the dumpling, a unique phenomenon of Czech cuisine. Once the main component of any meal in the Czech Republic, dumplings were used in replacement of meat and are still widely used in Czech dishes today, mostly in combination with a variety of tasty sauces and gravy.


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Did you know..? Interesting facts about the Danube

Where is the source of the river Danube?

The Danube begins as a small mountain stream deep in the Black Forest near Donaueschingen, Germany. That small stream soon becomes the second largest river in Europe (the Volga is the largest one).

The Upper Danube is home for how many capital cities?

four: Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), and Belgrade (Serbia)—more than any other river in the world. 

Through how many countries does the Danube flow?

Ten: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine 

The length of the Danube:

1,777 miles

Where does it end?

In the Black Sea.

Did You Know?

• The Danube Delta was first declared a nature reserve in 1938 by the Council of Ministers and recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1992. The area is home to 12 habit types, 300 bird species and 45 freshwater fish species.
• The Danube is mentioned in the title of a famous waltz by Austrian composer Johann Strauss, "An der schönen blauen Donau" (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), composed as Strauss was traveling down the Danube River. This piece is well known across the world and is also used widely as a lullaby. Listen to Herbert von Karajan conducting "An der schönen blauen Donau" with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTqlLKBKFhg
• Another famous waltz about the Danube is "The Waves of the Danube" by the Romanian composer Ion Ivanovici (1845–1902), and the work took the audience by storm when performed at the 1889 Paris Exposition.
• The German tradition of landscape painting, the Danube school, was developed in the Danube valley in the 16th century.
• The Parliament House in Bucharest is the world's largest parliament building at a whopping 3.55 million square feet.
• The Blue Danube was the name of the first nuclear weapon of the British army.

Incantato journeys the Blue Danube

The ‘meandering’ Danube river rises in the stunningly beautiful Black Forest mountain range close to the town of Donaueschingen in Germany, from whence it takes its name. It then flows a south-eastward course for a distance of some 1,785 miles, passing through four Central and Eastern European capitals and ten countries before emptying into the Black Sea.

Like no other European river, the Danube has influenced the course of history as the Romans, Thrax, Celts, Illyrics and, of course, the Ottomans have all been here. In the space of a week the echoes of this colorful past will come to the fore as you journey through the very historical beating heart of Europe, to experience the cultural delights of Vienna and Budapest or alternatively to gaze at the gently undulating landscapes of the beautiful Wachau Valley, with its charming riverside villages and vineyard-laced hillsides usually bathed in the most glorious of light. Stops along the curvaceous course of the river include Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Duernstein, Melk, and Passau.

Music and musical heritage obviously accompanies us on our voyage. Before the nineteenth century, musicians such as Mozart and Schubert struggled to make ends meet and relied on patronage. This all changed when Johann Strauss the Younger and Elder both became the equivalent of modern musical stars with their popular waltz music, perhaps forever immortalized in ‘The Blue Danube’ which perhaps neatly completes the circle as regards the name of our vessel and majestic river on which she sails.

Melk Abbey - An Incantato Favorite in Austria

Melk Abbey was originally a palace. Located on the banks of the Danube River between Salzburg and Vienna, Melk Abbey stands crowned by towers and resplendent in a golden hue. The impressive Baroque ensemble at Melk was built in 1702-1736 by architect Jakob Prandtauer. Especially noteworthy is the church with magnificent frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr and the library containing countless medieval manuscripts. The monastic community of Melk is over 900 years old and black-robed Benedictine monks still stroll amidst the marble sculptures and frescoed walls. It is now also a prestigious coed monastery school with more than 700 students. Melk has played an important role in the Danube region since Roman times, when a fortress was built on the promontory overlooking a tiny "arm" of the Danube. Melk also appears in the German epic poem Nibelungenlied, in which it is called "Medelike". The rock-strewn bluff where the abbey now stands was the seat of the Babenbergs, who ruled Austria from 976 until the Hapsburgs took over. In the 11th century, Leopold II of Babenberg presented the palace at Melk to Benedictine monks, who turned it into a fortified abbey. Its influence and reputation as a center of learning and culture spread throughout Austria, as reflected in Umberto Eco's popular novel The Name of the Rose. Eco researched his novel in the abbey's library. Melk Abbey suffered damaged during the Reformation and the 1683 Turkish invasion, but it was spared direct attack when the Ottoman armies were halted outside Vienna. Reconstruction of the abbey began in 1702 in full Baroque style and was completed in 1736. The abbey church was damaged by fire in 1947, but is now completely restored. The design of the present abbey ensemble (1702-36) is primarily the work of architect Jakob Prandtauer. The Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) contains pilasters coated in red marble and an allegorical painted ceiling by Paul Troger. The library rises two floors and also has a Troger ceiling, along with around 80,000 volumes of priceless works. The Kaisergang (Emperors' Gallery) stretches for 198m (650 ft.), and is decorated with portraits of Austrian royalty. The highlight of the abbey, though, is certainly the Stiftskirche (Abbey Church). The church has an astonishing number of windows and is richly embellished with marble and frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr with help from Troger.There are fine views of the river from the abbey's terrace, which Napoleon probably used as a lookout when he used Melk as his headquarters for his campaign against Austria. 

Incantato welcomes you to the musical city of Vienna!

• Vienna, situated along the Danube River, is the largest city as well as the capital of Austria. Not only that, Vienna is also a Federal province of Austria.
• It has the 3rd highest quality of living in the European Union.
• The major religion is Christianity. The major language spoken in Vienna is German. Surprisingly the voting age in Austria is only 16 years old.
• Vienna is the only city-state in Austria, which is a federal republic.
• Vienna is divided into 23 districts. The city center in Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Vienna is known worldwide as the city of music and is home to the great music hall with excellent acoustics.
• The Museumsquartier, which is one of the largest cultural complexes in the world, is in the heart of Vienna.
• World famous classical composers, including Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Schubert, and Brahms, have all lived and performed in Vienna.
• Vienna is home to the setting of Graham Greene's novel ‘The Third Man’ that is an actual city casting melancholy and telling the story of the Cold War.
• Vienna is considered as a city of cultural heritage. It has been home to various great artists such as Gustav Klimt, Sigmund Freud, and Arthur Schnitzler
• Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which is world’s oldest zoological garden,  was founded in 1752
• The largest emerald of the world, which is of a whopping 2860 carat, is displayed in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna.
• The highest waterfall in Europe is Kriml Falls, which is close to Vienna. The water falls 1,250 feet.
• One of the few of its kind and one of the oldest ferris wheels in the world is in Vienna. It is situated in a large amusement park called the Prater, one of Vienna's most popular attractions. It has 15 gondolas, which offer a scenic view of Vienna, and is probably one of the city's most familiar sights.
• Europe’s second largest cemetery is situated in Vienna, which is called Zentralfriedhof and has a total size of 2.5 square kilometers/one square mile.
• Zentralfriedhof also has over 2.5 million tombs, which is almost double than the city’s live population. It also has tombs of some of the most famous personalities of the world such as Beethoven, Brahms, Gluck, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Strauss.

LA CANADA SINGS IN ST. PETER'S SQUARE

La Canada High School Choirs are homeward bound

The La Canada HS Choirs under the direction of Mr. Jeff Brookey, their family and friends have bid farewell to Italy after a fantastic farewell concert at the beautiful church of Sant' Agnese in Agone. We say thank you arriverderci! Your Incantato Tours Team

Incantato Tour Sight: The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).
Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum. The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

La Canada HS at Teatro Di Rieti singing Esto Les Digo

April 4, 2011 - Rieti Theatre

High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica (Vatican City) on Tuesday, April 5, at 5 PM with La Canada High School Concert Choir and Chamber Singers

The La Canada High School Concert Choir and Chamber Singers under the direction of Mr. Jeff Brookey will sing and celebrate High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 5:00 PM.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.
Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.

Concert Panorama from Rieti

Impressions from the La Canada HS Italy Performance Tour

The La Canada HS Choirs in Cocert at the Teatro di Rieti

La Canada HS Choirs make the news in Rieti

A Journey of Light, a Rieti il concerto per coro dei licei La Cañada e JSerra Lunedì prossimo al teatro Flavio Vespasiano dalla Redazione sabato 2 aprile 2011 «Un concerto di musica corale che risveglia i sensi, ispira l’anima e scalda il cuore». Così Sandra Weinacht, titolare di Incantato Tours, definisce il concerto per coro che si terrà il 4 aprile al Flavio Vespasiano , il cui tema è “A Journey of Light” (Un viaggio di Luce). Dopo il successo di critica e pubblico riportato dal concerto del coro della South Carolina University, il prossimo lunedì 4 aprile alle 18.30 secondo appuntamento di prestigio al Flavio Vespasiano, con le serate organizzate da Incantato Tours e l’Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Rieti nel quadro del progetto di Wealbiz .  Sandra Weinacht, Gianfranco Formichetti e Diego Di Paolo sottolineano con soddisfazione che l’iniziativa sta riscuotendo grande consenso, sia per la qualità dei cori in tournee europea che passeranno da Rieti, sia per il coinvolgimento della realtà scolastica locale che approfitterà di volta in volta di queste presenze per stringere accordi di collaborazione con le scuole americane.  È un’operazione che interessa non solo l’ambiente artistico della città ma anche quello culturale e turistico, ed il fatto che non comporti alcun costo ne’ per l’amministrazione pubblica, ne’ per gli spettatori (i concerti sono ad ingresso libero) ne fa ovviamente un modello di sviluppo sostenibile che viene osservato con molta attenzione . Lunedì pomeriggio sarà la volta del liceo di La Cañada , piccola cittadina della contea di Los Angeles con un altissimo tenore di vita. La scuola, premiata due volte nel 1993 e nel 2004 con il Blue Ribbon, onorificenza americana riservata alle scuole d’eccellenza , è in questo momento classificata al 23 posto tra le scuole pubbliche degli Stati Uniti.  Il coro è diretto dal Professor Jeff Brookey, ed eseguirà un programma che include brani di Monteverdi, Schubert, Durufle , Whitacre, canti spiritual afro-americani e musica Gospel. Sempre nell’ambito dello stesso progetto, martedì 5 aprile alle 17 , nella mistica quiete del Santuario di Fonte Colombo, sarà la volta del coro del liceo JSerra . Il coro ha volutamente scelto un’esibizione lontano dal clamore, che si terrà alla presenza dei frati novizi e di pochi fortunati spettatori. Il tema del concerto sarà “I saw Eternity “ un pellegrinaggio spiritual attraverso la musica del passato e del presente.  I ragazzi provengono dalla cittadina californiana di San Juan de Capistrano, fondata come missione francescana da Giovanni da Capistrano nel 1776. Alle già citate collaborazioni istituzionali si somma in questo caso il neonato Comitato degli Amici del Cammino di Francesco e l’iniziativa vuole essere un momento di promozione del Cammino di Francesco nel mondo. L’ingresso per entrambi i concerti è libero. Per saperne di più: http://www.amicicamminodifrancesco.it

Highlight Concert: La Canada High School Concert Choir and Chamber Singers perform at Teatro Flavio Vespasiano in Rieti on Monday, April 4 at 6:30 PM

The La Canada High School Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will perform at feature concert at the Teatro Flavio Vespasiano di Rieti on Monday, April 4, 2011 at 6:30 PM. The Theatre Flavio Vespasiano is the main theater of Rieti, a town in the commune of Lazio in central Italy. The current structure dates back to December of 1883 but was not officially inaugurated until September 20, 1893, featuring productions of Goethe’s Faust and Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. The theater, named for the Roman Emperor Vespasian, required ten years of construction under the direction of Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini. The theater underwent complete restoration from 2005 through 2009. A grand re-opening celebration commenced on January 10, 2009 featuring conductor Marcello Rota, and soloists Karina Grigoryan, Jessica Pratt, Anna Gorayacheva, and Roman Burdenko. The Secretary to the Prime Minister as well as Senator Franco Marini were in attendance. The restoration efforts totaled more than 3.3 million Euro.

The reopening of the theater also fostered the formation of the Flavius Vespasian Foundation, aiming to promote international artistry and music. The Rieti Theatre also annually hosts the Rieti Dance Festival, the International Competition for the New Opera Voices of Mattia Battistini, and the National Competition for Young Actors. The theatre is well known for its excellent acoustics, a characteristic that earned the structure the very first National Award for the Acoustics. In referring to the acoustics, Professor Bruno Cagli, president of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia, once called the theatre “the world’s best in that respect”.