Cultured, elegant, austere. Vienna, city of composers, philosophers and artists. Cradle of Central European culture, for centuries the operational center of one of the most important royal families of the Old Continent, the Habsburgs. Famous, gastronomically speaking, for her kaffeehaus, the Sacher cake and the Wiener Schnitzel (the Viennese cutlet). Crossroads of peoples, a bridge between the West and the East. Being sucked into history is a moment, with the risk of losing it daily dimension of a more dynamic and multi-faceted city than one might imagine. To touch with hand its cosmopolitan side and to savor its present, the advice is to take a tour – between a visit to the Hofburg and one to the Belvedere Museum – among the markets in Vienna, in particular four: Naschmarkt, Brunnenmarkt, Karmelitermarkt and Kutschkermarkt.

Naschmarkt: central, multi-ethnic, an open-air restaurant

In the center, not far from the Wiener Staatsoper (Opera House) and a few steps from Palace of the Secession, there is the Naschmarkt. Born as a multi-ethnic market, today it certainly is one of the tourist attractions of the city. Scent of spices and sweets with a Middle Eastern flavor, fine French cheeses and Italian-made excellences, exotic fruit and fresh vegetables: on the benches is much more than indispensable. Also the signs speak different languages: German, Turkish, some Arabic and, obviously, Italian. Some stalls, in the evening, change clothes and turn into wine bar, like theUrbanek, a delicatessen shop, above all cold cuts and cheeses, served at the time ofappetizer with excellent Austrian wines. Among the kiosks they sell bratwurst and cheap beer, a series of have crept in trendy clubs, which turned the market into a big one open-air restaurant. To the Neni Israeli-Oriental dishes are served.Orient & Occident Turkish homemade specialties; for fish lovers there is Umar. Moreover, every Saturday from 6.30 am to 2.00 pm there is also a very colorful flea market (Wienzeile; Monday to Friday 6.00 am – 7.30 pm, Saturday 6.00 am – 6.00 pm).

Karmelitermarkt, farmer's market in a trendy neighborhood

Beyond the Donaukanal, the canal that cuts the city in two, at Leopoldgasse there is another fine market, the Karmelitermarkt, in the suburb of Karmeliterviertel, once inhabited mainly by the Jewish community today lively trendy neighborhood. Perhaps still little known, although it has been in the current square since 1910, in recent years it has become a reference place both from the point of view culinary that cultural. Even this, like many other markets in Vienna, has fixed stalls – small masonry buildings – and larger spaces equipped for street vendors, which are mainly here farmers. Since 2008 there is also a corner of Slow Food Wien. Every Saturday from 8 to 13 producers meet and offer traditional homemade food: bread, honey, jams, pickles, sauces, meats and cheeses. Many clubs around the market: for one healthy lunch break there is Kaas am Markt, a delicatessen shop and organic products, where you can also make small snacks. Another place to try is Schöne Perle, in the adjacent Leopoldgasse, which offers a reinterpretation of classic Viennese cuisine. And for those who just can't live without it Pizza Mari ’, a Neapolitan pizzeria very popular in the city (Leopoldsgasse; Monday to Friday 6.00 am – 7.30 pm, Saturday 6.00 am – 5.00 pm | Food stands from Monday to Saturday 6.00-23.00).

Brunnenmarkt: one of the most bazaar-like markets in Vienna

The Brunnenmarkt, in the Otkring, 16th district, is the largest street market in Vienna. It develops around Yppenplatz, which houses the structure of the old covered market, today transformed into a cultural center for the performing arts, the Brunnenpassage. The square is full of places to stop for lunch, after a dive in what it easily remembers the bazaar of a Turkish city. Taking Brunnengasse, you are literally sucked in by about 170 benches arranged along the road, made even closer by the crowd that populates it. On the stalls they are found above all cheap seasonal fruits and vegetables – lots of potatoes, onions, onions and turnips of all sorts – but also cheeses from all over Europe, cured meats from the Alps, cuts of halal meat and fish. Many kiosks with spicy kebab skewers to take take away and Turkish sweets overflowing with honey. In one there is also an oven from which gods come out smoking disks of Arabic bread. On the back of the square, on Saturdays, there is also the farmer's market, with a more restricted offer of local products, 90% organic: mushrooms, apples, honey, mountain cheeses. Among the cafés that populate the area, a must is the place Staud’s Pavillon, where jams and vegetable specialties have been sold since 1947. They are also worth a visit Mani, which proposes a modern interpretation of Middle Eastern cuisine and Völlerei, a modern trattoria offering slightly revisited classic Austrian cuisine dishes, all accompanied by excellent beers (Monday to Friday 6.00 am – 7.30 pm, Saturday 6.00 am – 5.00 pm).

Kutschkermarkt, refined products in a neighborhood market

Outside the usual sightseeing tours, the Kutschkermarkt is located in the 18th district, a mostly residential area, where many young families with children live. The market is the last on the road together with the Brunnenmarkt. The road on which it develops is uphill and, between one bank and another, there are several rooms well cared for where to stop for a bite. The advice is to go there on Saturday when, in addition to the fixed sellers, there are also the farmers' desks with their delicacies: fresh eggs, organic fruit and vegetables, jams, but also wine and sausages. The stalls are all well kept, some with a modern design and many can both buy and eat. Among these the most famous is the Pöhl’s Cellars, the wine bar of Irene Pöhl, a pioneer of the Kutschkermarkt, which also faces a counter of cheeses and cold cuts, one taste boutique where to stock up on typical products to bring back home as a souvenir. Between the benches, sometimes there is also that of new star of the Austrian bakery, Georg Öfferl, of the Dampfbäckerei Öfferl oven, known for its bread with steamed dough, defined as one of the best in the city (Kutschkergasse; Monday to Friday, 6.00 am – 7.30 pm, Saturday 6.00 am – 5.00 pm | Farmer’s Market 7.00-14.00).