Although I never made it to Belgrade on my recent trip to the Balkans, I knew I would be missing out on one of the region's great capitals.

Fortunately, LA Times staff writer Susan Spano journeyed there at about the same time and has painted a rather appealing image of this oft-neglected capital rarely blessed with superlatives from travel writers.

Spano delves deeply into history, politics, bars and cafes, and even attends a wedding in the Serbian capital. "Belgrade," she claims, "is now as hot as Prague once was, only cheaper and less touristy."

Sounds pretty good to me!

Filed under: Serbia, Red Corner