Vienna: a journey through beauty

Dragged along by my sister, that is a bit of a citizen of the world, I leave for Vienna. I had already been to this magnificent capital, but I was too young to properly appreciate it. And seeing the connection there is between my town and the Habsburg empire, my curiosity is even stronger.

This time we start our journey in 5. My sister, quite rightly, didn’t choose an ordinary hotel, but the new frontier of accommodation: AirB&B. Thanks to this magnificent website you have the chance to rent an apartment or a room, choosing the area, the size and the “beauty”, all according to the budget you have. We stayed in a wonderful apartment in the center, close to Naschmarkt.

What is Naschmarkt? A flea market that in Vienna is a real reference!

Every Saturday from 6:30 am to about 6pm vendors offer every kind of merchandise. Alongside professional second-hand dealers also private citizens can have a space of their own. The offer is vast: you can find valuable antiques, curious, kitsch and fun objects. Naschmarkt is a necessary stop for anybody who is on the lookout for a good deal or for specialist of flea markets like myself, that certainly won’t be disappointed.

The beautiful square, that during the day hosts the colorful and inventive market stalls, changes look in the evening and becomes a magnificent place where you can taste food of the most various origin.

During our short trip, we couldn’t miss a visit to the Schloss panoramic viewpoint (Belvedere castle), one of the most beautiful Royal residences of Europe. A masterpiece of Austrian baroque architecture, it was built for Prince Eugene of Savoy. It’s made of two contrasted buildings, The superior Belvedere (Oberes Belvedere) and the inferior Belvedere (Unteres Belvedere), separated by French gardens that face out onto the city.

Vienna is a fantastic city in which everything is neat, tidy, romantic, “imperial” but at the same time modern, fashionable and original. Walking around the center you can discover shops which collect modern art, designer boutiques, vintage clothing shops and wonderful flower showrooms, so beautiful they barely look life flower shops.

In other words Vienna is a city with a thousand faces where there are many things to be discovered. Do you want to know more about it? You’ll have to wait for the next episode… 🙂