Salzburg is not only Mozart

The city lived from the inside

Sigmundstor (Neutor)

For my first experience living outside of Italy I chose an unbelievable city: Salzburg. In the middle of the Austrian alps, surrounded by nature and mountains, I didn’t expect to find what I found here. I just say it’s totally perfect. It is not meant to be an advertisement for the city but a genuine thought, coming from a simple student who was lucky to live here only for a few months.

The city is packed with students from different worlds that are going towards different careers in the future. Music is a key point, even because of the huge presence of the Mozart vibe in the city. He was born and lived part of his life here. The city, historically born for the salt business (that is why the name is “Salz-burg”) has become a key centre of Catholic Church in central Europe with 23 churches that can be found only in the city centre. The general history can be found on Wikipedia; now we want to ask ourselves: what makes this city so special?

Multicultural living, with students coming from all over the world, has never been so peaceful. Bonding with nature, the city offers a lot of studying and working opportunities. Life is expensive, not really affordable for a student, which thought me to manage my finances, understanding how to save money. The Austrian breweries and Irish pubs light up the night, in a city where the night is not at all the most important and lived part of the day, as opposite to Wien. Walking in the city centre, a fresh air of historical beauty fills the air, but as a student I was a lot more impressed about sports opportunities here.

Hiking, football pitches and volleyball courts everywhere, swimming pools, running trails, canals, lakes for a quick bath and a huge amount of bike paths that lead you everywhere with a bike. This is the switch, the bike; when you actually buy one of these, that can be found for cheap, the whole experience of the city changes completely. In 20 minutes you are everywhere, and in the most flexible and environmentally-friendly way. Having a kebab late in the evening without thinking at the last bus is a wonderful feeling.

Now I’m going back home, and as a student cooking is a huge part of the daily life. It lets you discover and try different recipes, ingredients and experiments that at home I could not have, mainly because of the time. Fresh food, since eating out is out of budget, is a must. With this must, the passion for cooking grows more and more, if you don’t want to be broke or unhealthy. The market in Mirabellplatz on thursday morning is a big discovery for people who like to cook and want to experience the true national heritage and typical food.

It’s not the nightlife you would expect, but the daily life is further better than any expectations I could have. The opportunities are huge, you just have to put the phone down, think and let your creativity do her job. I’m writing this in a library full of historical paintings. Through the window I can see the central square, horses carrying people around just like centuries ago. Salzburg is not only Mozart. It’s a city that makes you feel like time never really left.