Today we have a double interview with Giambattista & Daniela, professional photographers and Spotters for the Vienna cityblog.
You can find Giambattista and Daniela’s articles here.
Can you tell us a bit about who you are, and what you do?
Daniela & Giambattista: “Three years ago we met by chance on a cold winter day in Vienna.
Daniela had just moved to Vienna while Giambattista (born Italian) was here for some photoshoots. Our ways haven’t separated since then and Giambattista came to live in Vienna. Photography and traveling are our passions and we manage to make a living out of it.
Daniela is mainly into people, fashion and interior photography (want to model? drop an email!), Giambattista shoots interiors and is starting to explore social reportage. Our works can be seen on http://danielalettner.carbonmade.com, http://www.giamba.eu and http://www.dgclick.com.
As we usually work around Europe (and beyond!) we know quite well what it means like being in a city and having to find the perfect place to eat, to visit and so on without being caught in the usual tourists traps. That’s why we’re enthusiast about SpottedbyLocals which we use both as a guide for our travels and to give some hints on our favourite places in Vienna.”
Why did you decide to become a Spotter?
Daniela: “To help tourists coming to Vienna! I would like to see people wandering with open eyes, not just following the tourist guide running from a to b to c. It happens quite often that tourists are lost with their maps asking for the way to the next sight…instead of looking around, breathing the atmosphere of the place, inhaling the culture, the vibes of a place they blind themselves with the map in front of their eyes.
I think with SpottedbyLocals we kind of bring the people in areas where they might not arrive following a standard guide.”
Why Vienna? What is a must do when you visiting Vienna? What not?
Giambattista: “Vienna is a piece of cake. Literally 🙂 I think one of the best things to do in Vienna, to understand the people, is to enter in one of its beautiful cafes and spend there few hours relaxing, just watching people, reading a newspaper or a book and enjoy a Melange (a sort of Viennese cappuccino) with Sacher torte and whipped cream. But in terms of cakes you can just go crazy. They are the best in the world (so far!).
One thing I always recommend not to do is to buy a ticket on the street from Mozart-style-dressed guys (if they read this they’ll want my head, sorry guys!) for classic music concerts. I don’t question the quality, but why instead not grab a newspaper or the Internet and check if there is a classic concert you’re really interested in listening to?”
Which preconceptions about Vienna are true? Which are not?
Giambattista: “Sometimes waiters are really rude. Must be because they can’t stand people spending hours in the place for just a coffee.
What is the most popular neighborhood to live in Vienna at this moment? And what can you do there?
Daniela: “For me the coolest area is the 7th district (Inner districts) called Neubau! It’s full of little shops of young fashion designer, ateliers, galleries and every time I’m there I discover that a new bar opened or something changed again! It’s a fast living district, young, fresh and creative!
Actually the more I think of this question the more areas I could find to recommend…and actually I think every district in Vienna has it’s hidden trendy square, street or spot…that’s why we are doing this job for you :-)”
Which time of the year you like most in you city and why?
Daniela: “Summer! My favourite spot is the Island of the Danube in summer. It’s so close to the city and the relax factor is so high there. I take my bike, I go swimming in the old branch of the Danube or to some of the hidden lakes in the so called Lobau area.
To have dinner at the fish restaurants along the Danube watching the sunset makes me feel like being on holiday somewhere far away of daily life.”
If you can only stay for two more days in your city, which Spots would you definitely visit?
Giambattista: “If it’s summer I would go by bike on the Danube Island to swim and enjoy a beer (or two) and some good food at the Mosquito watching the sunset.
If it’s spring I would lay down in the sun for hours at the Jesuitenwiese in the Prater (closeby is the Café Zartl we wrote about) and play Frisbee. If it’s winter and it’s snowing I would hang out a bit in the Augarten, if it’s not I would be glad to fly somewhere warmer ;-P”
Check out the other interview with our Spotters.