Things seen from the inside always appear more complicated than they are when viewed in a detached way. From an external position, which allows a super partes observation, each situation is clearer, simpler. So it also happens when we are in a new city and, perhaps, we have little time to visit it, get to know it and understand it. Being in the heart of city life, visiting squares, large streets, museums involves us whirlwindly preventing us from understanding the orientation of the city, its layout, its position with respect to rivers or mountains, the distribution of its neighborhoods. To have one good overview and create a background in which to contextualize the visit, I tend to look for elevated observation points, especially since I have a strange passion for roofs and seen from above.
And so I did not fail to see Barcelona from Montjuïc and from one of the towers of the Sagrada Familia, Rome from the Altar of the Fatherland but not yet from the Dome of San Pietro, Brussels from the Atomium, Oslo from the Holmenkollen ski jump, in short, all unmissable and very popular viewpoints. However, there are some cities that offer less known but no less fascinating perspectives from above, indeed, personally, I prefer isolated places capable of suggesting reflection as well as a breathtaking view.
Paris
And so Paris, instead of being observed from the famous Tour Eiffel, I recommend seeing it from Tour de Montparnasse: a valid alternative, less crowded and equally well structured. It is a building of 56 plans, placed exactly in front of the Eiffel Tower and at its peak there is a panoramic terrace from which to admire the city, assisted by explanatory panels that help the identification of buildings, museums, famous streets. A 360 ° view, protected by windows that prevent the wind from annoying, it is able to satisfy anyone and is inevitable in summer. In winter, however, the heated panoramic floor which is accessed with a very fast lift that reaches 22 km / h.
Amsterdam
Also Amsterdam offers observation points outside the center and quite unexplored: the roof of the Dutch Science Center, called Nemo, and the terrace of the Public Library small town. Both new buildings, they are located not far from the station, in a context of impressive and positive building recovery. The first was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, has the appearance of a ship and offers a real panoramic square at 22 m asl, reachable from the outside through an imposing staircase or from an elevator located in the atrium of the museum. The second is the largest library in Europe and leaves you amazed right from the entrance. On the seventh floor, in addition to the restaurant, there is a terrace whose view at sunset leaves you breathless: the sun setting and turning the city red is a spectacle of nature. Given the harsh winter weather, both are only open from March to October.
Frankfurt
Frankfurt it offers numerous points of view tens of meters high, thanks to its modern skyscrapers that make it look much more American than European, so much so that it has earned the nickname Mainhattan. Among others, the classic ascent to the Main Tower can be accompanied by that to thetop floor of the Galeria Kaufhof located along the Zeil pedestrian street. Before or after a shopping trip, let yourself be attracted by the cafeteria-restaurant on the top floor which has tables with a view and, again, offers a panoramic point raised above the seating area, a real panoramic micro lounge accessible by car. of an iron spiral staircase. Your gaze will be lost in trying to identify famous buildings and museums and you will be enchanted.
And as for theItaly I have selected two cities out of all: elegant Turin and lively Modena.
Torino
Torino it cannot ignore the Mole Antonelliana which stands in a very central position and is also home to the well-known Museum of Cinema. The summit can be reached by means of an internal lift and the view does not disappoint. Wanting, however, to estrange, as I said before, there is a much more suitable position for intimate and reflective observation: Superga hill where stands the famous Basilica which houses the tombs of the royals of Savoy and whose dome is accessible from an internal staircase for a 360 ° view. The city of Turin, the mountains that surround it to the east, the verdant valleys and the western Piedmont with its peaks will be able to arouse amazement and admiration.
Modena
Little frequented as a tourist destination, much more for the engines and its famous people, Modena it deserves a stop on a journey on trust, only for the fact that three monuments in its historic center have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So Piazza Grande overlooked by the long side of the Duomo surmounted by the Tower (leaning, yes) Ghirlandina will be a pleasant discovery: the long arcades welcome modernized historic cafes, the cobblestones crossed by stone slabs once used to pass the carts they manage to bring the mind back to an unlived historical period and the great door of the Cathedral invites you to enter. To complete the visit to this perfectly preserved concentrate of historicity, you cannot miss the climb to the Ghirlandina Tower, today open until Torresani room about 45 m high and about to be accessible up to the dome. The view to the roofs, to the old houses built close to each other almost to protect each other, to the outskirts where the Maserati car manufacturer stands out, is only possible on condition that you do not suffer from vertigo, because in many passages between one floor and another the other is directly overlooking the rooms below and is protected only by a minimal iron railing. When you reach the top, however, the gratings on the windows will offer you a beautiful medieval panorama.
