After the vineyards, the countryside's dominant feature is the reed-ringed Neusiedler See, a seven-foot deep, 124-square-mile body of water that sometimes mysteriously disappears. The last time was for four years starting in 1865.

The region's peaceful, bucolic demeanor belies its bumpy history. Both the Turks and the Romans came here with less than honorable intentions, and from 1945 to 1955 it was occupied by the Russians.

The province's most interesting town is Rust (pronounced "roost"), though the Michelin Green Guide for Austria gives nearby Mörbisch two stars and Rust, about 41 miles south of Vienna, none. No matter where you choose to headquarter, both villages should be explored. Gaze upward to the rooftop storks nests and stop for a snack and a made-on-the-premises glass of fresh white wine at one of the ubiquitous Heurigen (wine taverns). Both towns are on the lake.

Unfortunately, neither Rust nor Mörbisch is served by rail. The nearest train station is in Eisenstadt, the provincial capital and Burgenland's most important city. It is also where composer Joseph Haydn lived for 30 years. Mementos of the beloved musician can be seen in the Haydn Room of Schloss Esterhazy once home of the renowned Hungarian family and in a museum in the house where he lived.

This is an interesting, inexpensive destination with more than enough to hold your attention. Do we dare compare northern Burgenland to Europe's two most prized country destinations, Provence and Tuscany? All have an agrarian charm that appeals to stressed-out American tourists dreaming of a culture opposite their own: miles of vineyards interspersed with old wine villages, distinctive regional cuisine, and characteristic architecture. All three conjure images of days in the sun filled with visits to tiny wineries where bountiful meals of local provender prepared by the vintners wife are eaten under shade trees, accompanied, of course, by quantities of simple but delicious wine. But Provence and Tuscany, are expensive and overrun with English speaking tourists. By contrast, the visitor to Burgenland, through all those long, sunny days, may not encounter a single American; and his or her stay — meals, accommodations, libations — will cost about half what it would in the other two.