Maribor is the second city of the Slovenia. It develops on the banks of the Drava River and is less than 20 km from the Austrian border. It boasts a very nice old town and what Slovenians like to call "the oldest vine in Europe". I would have some doubts about it, but so be it! The cost of living is a bit higher than in the small towns of Slovenia, whose economy is still struggling to take off, but is still far below Italian standards. Suffice it to say that many restaurants have both student and tourist menus for less than 5 euros.
In various corners of the city there are depictions of a shoemaker struggling with the opening of a dam. By asking around, I discovered that Maribor is linked to the legend of "the humble hero". It is said that the king, fearful and tired from the continuous Turkish raids, had promised his last daughter in marriage to anyone who had managed to save the city from yet another invasion. Brave knights attempted the feat, but no one succeeded, until a humble shoemaker opened the dam, flooded the city and, in one fell swoop, put the enemies to flight and obtained the hand of the king's daughter.
That of the shoemaker hero it could be, in itself, a legend like any other, but, walking through the streets of Maribor, you understand that it is not just a legend but the metaphor of a humble and poor population in search of redemption and well-being. An evocative atmosphere that is certainly worth discovering.
