Prague: Don Juan passions
Prague is the mystical capital of Europe. This city of magicians, sorcerers and alchemists has always attracted lovers of the secret and the unknown. At the same time, ghosts and wizards are far from the only attraction of the ancient city. Romantics will also find plenty of interesting activities in the Czech capital.
Firstly, the city houses a museum of one of the most outstanding connoisseurs of female beauty of the Art Deco era – the artist Alphonse Mucha. Secondly, it was in Prague that one of Mozart's most famous operas, Don Giovanni, was written and first performed in a theater.
The great composer worked on the opera at the Bertramka villa, which then belonged to the Dušek couple. This estate, although within the city limits, is located relatively far from Prague's tourist center, so tourists do not visit it very often.
Today the entire villa grounds are given over to the Mozart Museum. It houses the piano on which he composed his works. The museum's most famous exhibit is a small lock of hair belonging to the musical genius.
Concerts of classical music take place at the villa almost every day, and one of its halls is set aside for wedding ceremonies, where newlyweds can get married in Baroque interiors of the 18th century. True, this pleasure is not cheap: a wedding ceremony costs about three thousand euros.
Well, those who like things "hotter" must visit the Prague Museum of Sex Machines. It contains about two hundred items to satisfy carnal desires: erotic drawings and photographs, various stimulants, lingerie and costumes for role-playing, whips, masks, handcuffs and other accessories for sadomasochism enthusiasts, and antique sex machines.
The erotic museum occupies three floors of a building from the 17th century, and among its exhibits you can find items from the era of the great seducer Don Juan. In particular, one of the display cases features a 16th-century chastity belt worn by a French aristocrat. It is worth noting that all items in the museum are genuine.
One of the exhibition halls is dedicated to cinema. The cinema shows silent black-and-white pornographic films from the early 20th century, which, by the way, modern connoisseurs of the genre may find somewhat puritanical.
Rome: Etruscans and Generators
In terms of the number of architectural and artistic monuments per square kilometer, Rome can compete only with Paris. The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Villa Borghese, Sistine Chapel, Forum. All these masterpieces hardly need an introduction. But besides these legendary favorites of tourists from all over the world, the Eternal City has many lesser-known attractions and places still in the shadow of their great brethren.
For example, tour groups rarely visit the National Museum of Etruscan Art (Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia), despite the fact that it houses a stunning collection of the treasures of the Romans' predecessors. The exhibition is located in a Renaissance mansion. Among the museum's main exhibits are a 6th-century BC tomb, the Sarcophagus of the Newlyweds, and a terracotta statue of Apollo of Veii.
You can continue exploring the ancient world at the Centrale Montemartini. This museum complex is a unique place, as it is located on the site of a former power plant. Ancient statues of Hera, Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite are displayed at Montemartini in the machine room among steam boilers. The ancient sculptures ended up alongside industrial aesthetics almost by accident. In 1997, due to reorganization at the Capitoline Museums, hundreds of statues were temporarily moved to the building of the city's oldest thermal power plant. The exhibition pleased the residents of Rome so much that it was decided to make it permanent.
The contrast between white ancient marble and dark, in places still greasy metal, acquired a special semantic meaning. The center's employees like to repeat that in this way their museum combines the spiritual values of the ancient city with the aesthetics of an era driven by steel and steam.
By the way, during the reconstruction of the museum, it was decided to preserve two impressively sized engines, which are monuments of industrial design from the first half of the 20th century. The camshafts of each weigh 81 tons, and their length exceeds 20 meters. These units were installed in April 1933, in the presence of Benito Mussolini.
Barcelona: Quiet Walks in a Bustling City
It's not that tourists are completely unaware of the Labyrinth of Horta in the capital of Catalonia. However, usually no one gets around to it (or rather, gets on their feet). There is so much to see in a short time: the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, the Picasso Museum, the Magic Fountains, and La Rambla. The Labyrinth of Horta is unjustly excluded from this list. This historic park is located in Barcelona's Horta-Guinardó district and is one of the oldest in the city. It is situated on a hillside, on the grounds of the former palace of the Desvalls family.
The park consists of a neoclassical garden (18th century) and a romantic garden created in the 19th century. The park can accommodate no more than 750 visitors at a time; picnics, cycling, noisy games, and dogs are not allowed – this is how the city cares for the preservation of the amazing labyrinth of living greenery and marble statues of ancient Greek deities. So Horta will appeal to introverts who may feel a little uncomfortable in the famous and noisy Park Güell, with its gawkers, cameras, and pushy souvenir sellers in "Gaudí style."
Another favorite attraction for many is the Barcelona Aquarium, L'Aquarium Barcelona, located in the city's port. No doubt, an excellent place. But right nearby on the waterfront there is another amusing pastime. Right by the pier, large fish swim, the water is literally teeming with them. The creatures love being fed bread.
Usually tourists prefer seagulls, but feeding fish is no less interesting: the water literally boils when they start fighting for treats. The photos, by the way, turn out great, and children really enjoy the entertainment.