The Romantic Road

In an article called, “The Romantic Road,” the author writes about Bavaria, Germany’s ‘medieval countryside, restorative wines, and gracious inns’ about 74 miles southeast of Frankfurt.

The article says, “The Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse), stretching for 180 miles from Wurzburg southward to Fussen, on the border with Austria, is more aptly named for the dozens of medieval towns, billages, and castles that line its way than for the scenery in between. Pity the peopleon the jam-packed tour buses who see it fleetingly in a day. They’ve missed the essence of what makes this road trip unique–the handful of towns forming a romantic chain of pearls must be appreciated slowly.

Before you even set off, a visit to Wurzburg and its glorious Baroque palace, the Residenz, sets the tone for the rest of your trip. Created when great wealth came together with the genius of architect Balthasaar Neumann, the Residenz was commissioned in 1720 by the powerful and pleasure-loving prince-bishops who would make this their home and who apparently saw little conflict between religious service and flagrant ostentation.

As you enter the Residenz, a monumental vaulted staircase, the largest in the country, is a not so subtle reminder that you are in one of Europe’s most sumptuous buildings. To guild the lily, Giovanni Tiepolo was called in from Venice to cover the staircase ceilings—and others—with his colorful frescoes. The artist outdid himself in the already elaborate Throne Room, a profusion of delicate stucco and grandiose architecture enhanced further by his work, creating a space that is airy, opulent and magical…”