Deep North

Deep North
Magazine: April 2008

In Swedish it is called Skåne, in Italian Scania. It is the southernmost region of Sweden and until 1658 it was part of Denmark. Scania and Denmark are joined up “physically” thanks to the Öresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen to Malmö, the “south facing Swedish window” and the third largest Swedish metropolis. A cache of historic treasures with a strong leaning towards futurism. What immediately strikes the eye is the futuristic jewel of the city the “Turning Torso”, a 190 m. high residential skyscraper, the only one of its kind in the whole of Sweden. To understand this beautiful green country it is suffi ce to move into the interior of the region. In a panorama of striking contrasts the only recurring theme in the whole of Scania seems to be the cuisine. The typical combination is sweet and sour. If the sheer size of the countryside is enormous, the coastline does not lag far behind. The piece around Åhus is known as the “eel coastline”. Instead the north west of Scania is dominated by the peninsula of Bjäre, with the famous tennis city di Båstad. Towards the interior lies Helsingborg, a magnet for the younger generation, style afi cionados and gourmet buffs.