The Village of Purbach

Barely an hour south of Vienna lies a lovely secret: an ancient and beautiful village still untouched by tourism, yet brimming with the stuff of a wonderful sojourn. Purbach, located in Austria's easternmost province Burgenland, has a population of under 3,000, but it's home to a dazzling culinary scene -- including one of Europe's top restaurants, Gut Purbach.

Star chef Max Stiegl takes advantage of all this romantic region has to offer, from local agriculture to an array of award-winning vineyards. Old villages sometimes get trapped in the past, but ventures like Stiegl's demonstrate the innovation and vitality deep in Purbach's DNA. Those qualities radiate outward to the Restaurant Kloster am Spitz, where brothers Wolfgang and Thomas Schwarz attend the cuisine and winery respectively. Meanwhile you can build up an appetite with a dip in the lake, a bike ride around it or a tour of the fifty historic wine cellars in nearby Kellergasse.