Oslo in winter, emotions and experiences in the Nobel Peace Prize capital

The Nordic summer has a unique charm. For its colours, its long hours of light, its sparkling nature, its endless sunsets. But even winter, with temperatures close to zero and darkness occupying most of the 24 hours, is absolutely worth a trip to Norway's capital, and not only to experience the atmosphere of the Christmas and New Year festivities amidst markets, illuminations and snowy landscapes. There is no better time to visit Oslo than around the time of a very special anniversary for the city, 10 December, the date on which the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded since 1901, between the royal reception at City Hall and the torchlight procession that ends in front of the entrance to the elegant Grand Hotel, the country's oldest. But even between January and early spring, Oslo exudes its own charm, the result of the substantial architectural and urban transformation that has changed its face in the last 10-15 years. Libraries, parks, creative places and museums that become open spaces and meeting places at any hour of the day, ultra-modern electric public transport (the Airport Express train that takes 20 minutes from Gardermoen airport to the central station is a very good example) that make car-free travel convenient throughout the city area and a sense of freedom and serenity that shines through among the 700,000 inhabitants of what is one of Europe's 'greenest' capitals.