Guida di Sciaffusa

D’estate, quando si sciolgono i ghiacci alle alte quote, le sue acque sono ancor più abbondanti e si rovesciano in rapide imponenti, nel cui mezzo sta un grappolo di speroni rocciosi con degli alberi, che subiscono imperterriti la furia delle acque. Questo è il punto fino a cui si può arrivare col traghetto, per poter scattare foto bellissime. Schaffhausen is a medieval city, a very important road and railway junction due to its proximity to Germany, and a destination for significant emigration from Italy as well. Its famous steelworks, chemical, mechanical, textile, watchmaking, and playing card industries have absorbed foreign labor since the 1960s. The old part, Altstadt, full of monuments and charming, features the Fronwagplatz, the old market square, dominated by the medieval tower rebuilt in the 18th century, with the astronomical clock (1564), two Renaissance-style fountains, and the Herrenstube, the headquarters of the ancient local notables’ brotherhood. From the square emerges the Vorstadt, a street lined with marvelous painted houses, with coats of arms, floral motifs, friezes, and precious scrollwork, leading to the imposing Swabian Gate, Schwabentor. Also very characteristic is Vordergasse, with the 15th-century town hall and at number 65, the famous Haus Zum Ritter, the Knight’s House (1566), adorned with frescoes depicting mythological stories, ancient Rome, and astonishing allegories, the work of master Tobias Stimmer. The visit is rounded out by the Romanesque cathedral and the mighty Munot, the 16th-century fortress that overlooks the city from the top of a beautiful vineyard hill.