Marvellous Mauterndorf

KIWI COOK ANNABELLE WHITE VISITS AN ALPINE GEM IN AUSTRIA

It’s time to share a hidden gem. Many travellers are familiar with Salzburg in Austria – it inspires a rich tapestry of stunning images from The Sound of Music – but a 90-minute drive south-east from the city (fast approaching the border between Italy and Slovenia), you have this wonderful, relatively undiscovered treat that is Mauterndorf (pop 1782). This tiny town is in the Lungau area, part of a larger region known as Salzburgerland.

The Lungau has 15 picturesque villages, all at 1000 metres or more above sea level. It’s Austria’s sunniest region and worthy of mention in the same breath as Yellowstone Park and the Galapagos Islands, as the Lungau’s sublime scenery has been placed under special protection and designated as the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Salzburg Lungau & Karntner Nockberge. I needed to investigate and only had 48 hours to savour this delight.