This is familiar territory for England manager Fabio Capello,
instantly recognisable after bringing Roma here in 2000 and Real
Madrid in 2006.
Both teams went on to win the league title, breathing in the air
at altitude, then blowing teams away when it counted.
England's players will make the same trip, getting giddy when
the team coach takes on the endless switchbacks as they climb
through the clouds.
Then they hope to take the nation to dizzying heights, reaping
the benefits of a week-long stay at their pre-World Cup
retreat.
The players cannot fail to be impressed, from the snow-capped
peaks surrounding the hotel to the goat-herders taking on the even
steeper climbs towards the top.
It is a world away from Wembley - a stunning setting for a team
preparing to play tournament football at the very highest
level.
They intend to play a game out here, a practice match before
they return to their sold-out national stadium for a World Cup
farewell match.Capello has yet to decide on the standard of
opposition in Austria, but the local part-timers have been primed
for action. Real Madrid beat them 10-2 in July 2006, in front of
more than 2,000 starry-eyed locals.
Then it will be on to the real action, with England's players
travelling to South Africa six days before their first game.
Their Austrian stay will help the players adjust to the altitude
in South Africa, with some stadiums as high as 5,749ft.
Capello's squad will stay at the magnificent Hotel Schloss
Pichlarn, sucking in mountain air from their spot more than 2,300ft
above sea level. What a choice. No flag-wavers, no fans and not a
WAG in sight.
The only supporters will be the townsfolk of this sparsely
populated Austrian village, a hidden gem tucked in between the
foreboding sight of the Alps.
England are taking up two floors of this grand, five-star hotel,
following in the famous footsteps of Francesco Totti and Zinedine
Zidane.
The hard work will be done in the foothills, down in the village
where the England team will train twice a day at the local
stadium.
After meeting for breakfast in the Spiegelsaal ('the room full
of mirrors'), the 23-man squad will board the bus for the
five-minute drive to the stadium.
It is here that 500 supporters watch the local team Irdning, an
amateur side playing in Austria's fourth division.
More than twice that number will turn up to watch England's
double-sessions, downing tools for the day to watch them train.
The president of Irdning is already preparing for England's
stay, proudly showing off an enormous Three Lions badge in a
reception area that will welcome the team each day.
Josef Manschefszki breaks off from polishing the recent arrival,
admitting the prospect of England's players pitching up in Irdning
is special.
He said: "The whole town is very proud to be associated with the
English national team.
"They will be made to feel very special and very welcome here.
It is a quiet village, very peaceful and very tranquil. These are
idyllic surroundings."
Everybody in the town is looking forward to England's stay,
although the locals will maintain a respectful distance.
Next May will be work-time for England's squad, training hard as
they prepare for a potential four-week stay in South Africa. Some
40 staff will be on hand to assist them during their stay in
Irdning.
They will eat three meals a day, with chef Roger Narbett staying
at the hotel to prepare platefuls of pasta. In the corridors,
"Snack Stations" will be set up, with a steady supply of nuts and
fresh fruit on hand.
The Grimming Room, named after one of the nearby mountains, will
be divided into three areas, with designated zones providing
internet, table tennis and pool.
There is also a separate meeting room for Capello to run through
videos of past matches and potential opponents. Whenever Capello
loses his rag - which we hope will not be often - he can head for
the basement and the House of Harmony.
There, he can enrol in a pampering programme, spiritual
exercises in holistic surroundings.
It's a chill-out zone for England's manager, the perfect place
for him to gather his thoughts ahead of the group phase.
Breathe in, breathe out... then blow those negative thoughts
away.
