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Graz umns houses the grave of Saint Hemma.

Curiosity: Pope John Paul II visited the magnifi-
cent Gurk Cathedral, popular destination of the
Hemma Pilgrimage Trail, starting in Slovenia and
inviting you to follow the footsteps of the church
and monastery founder in this 800km-long road.
The tradition of this pilgrimage has existed since
the 17 century.
th
Arrival to Graz for dinner.
CARINTHIA in numbers:
200 bathing lakes, 8,000km of rivers, 60 healing
springs, 43 glaciers, 3,798 m of the Gossglockner Business Proposals in Austria
peak, the highest peak of Austria.
3rd Day: Graz
Visit of Graz: Cultural Capital of Europe, UNESCO
World Heritage Site, capital of flavours, City of
Design, European City for Human Rights. What
features the second largest city of Austria and
the capital of Styria is its thousand-years history
harmoniously mixed with contemporary archi-
tecture designed by well-known Austrian and
international architects. Below you find a list of
the most important attractions and cultural her-
itage in Graz: the Rathaus (Town Hall), the Caril-
lon (music box) playing 3 times per day typical
you will enjoy an astonishing 360-degree pano- songs, the Cathedral, the Clock Tower, the seat
Naturally Austria: Carinthia rama on the Wörthersee and on the southern of Styria’s provincial parliament and the Island
in the Mur.
region of Austria, admiring the impressive peaks
and Styria of the High Tauern on the north, the Karawanks Curiosity: An island or a ship? It’s not easy to de-
3 days on the south and the mountains drawing the bor- fine the steel building whose showy design was
der between Italy and Slovenia. Continue to Kla- projected by the New York City artist Vito Acco-
genfurt, capital of the federal state of Carinthia, nci; the Island in the Mur was commissioned in
1st Day: Villach - Ossiach - Velden (Km. 40) placed in a lovely landscape and surrounded by
Villach is a nice town in Carinthia, fascinating small lakes that represent an important touristic 2003, when Graz was elected European Capital of
from both a cultural and naturalistic point of attraction, as well as the lakeshore, one of the Culture. It shall be considered as a link between
view, since it’s crossed by the Drava river and its largest in Europe. Around 5000 years ago it was the river and the city, a “pedestrian island” meas-
tributary Gail. The huge Hauntplatz square and Italian architects who constructed the city with uring 47 metres in length and whose shape re-
the main church of St. Jakob are the very cor- its palaces, the inner courts and the squares that minds a giant half-open shell.
nerstone of the guided tour. St. Jakob was built have been well maintained until today, including The day ends with a walk to the Schlossberg Hill,
in the 15 century in Gothic style and it houses Neuer Platz, flanked by Neoclassic buildings, the on top of which you will find the castle ruins. The
th
valuable frescoes. During the winter, Villach be- Palais Orsini-Rosenberg housing the Town Hall top is reachable by cable car, with 60% slope and
comes a paradise for ski and resort lovers, thanks and the Palais Porcia, now a hotel.
to its thermal baths as well. Proceed to the visit Curiosity: According to the legend, Klagenfurt a glass ceiling that allows the visitors to enjoy a
of the former Benedictine monastery on the Os- magnificent view on the old town of Graz.
siach Lake, that hosts the most important music was founded in a place where a winged danger- Curiosity: the city takes its name from the for-
festival of Carinthia. The Romanesque church ous dragon lived, which can be found on the civic tress built more than 1000 years ago on the
was reworked in a Baroque style, with magnifi- coat and which is represented in form of an im- Schlossberg Hill. The word comes from the Slav-
cent soft-coloured stuccoes and the amazing ceil- pressive statue in the very downtown of the city. ic Gradec, small fortress, and later changed into
ing painted by Romiller. The Baptisterium hosts Due to its exemplary preservation the city was Graz.
a Gothic altarpiece, one of the most precious in awarded 3 times the prestigious Europa Nostra STYRIA in numbers:
Carinthia. At the end of the visit, boat ride on Diploma of Merit. 1 peak reaching 2,995m (Dachstein), 788 peaks
the lake. Overnight in Velden, an evocative town After a typical lunch based on Austrian spe-
overlooking the largest lake of the region, the cialties, departure for the Hochosterwitz Castle, above 2,000m, 2,000 mountain pastures (50,000
Wörthersee. hectares), 4,546 hectares of vineyard surface 365
Curiosity: the lake is about 17 km long and is one one of the most impressive medieval castles in with the production of 20,000 wine hectolitres
of the warmest in Austria, with a temperature Austria. (80% white wine), 5,200 hectares covered by ap-
reaching up to 27 degrees. It was built on a rocky cliff as an impregnable ple crops, 17,000 hectares of pumpkin fields with
stronghold against the raids of the Turks. the production of over 3 million litres of pumpkin
2nd Day: Pyramidenkogel- Klagenfurt - Ho- Curiosity: with its huge bastions the castle can seed oil.
chosterwitz -Gurk - Graz (km. 220) be seen from a distance up to about 30km on a
Ascent of the wooden viewing tower named Pyr- clear day.
amidenkogel, new symbol of Carinthia located Proceed to the Gurk Valley and visit of the Gurk
at 920 metres above the sea level (including the Cathedral, one of the most significant sacred art
mount on which the tower was built). From the buildings in Europe. The crypt with its 100 col-
viewing platform located at a height of 71 metres

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