Yogyakarta is administered by a sultan, because the local rulers swore allegiance to the newly formed Indonesian republic, becoming administrators of the special zone.

We stayed in this city for 4 days and, while in the first we walked around the city (grinding several kilometers), in the second we went around with a private driver.

Our first day began with a visit to the Kraton royal palace, built in the mid-16th century. Residence of the sultan, it can be partially visited, and the museum inside has a permanent exhibition of objects and precious batik worn by royalty.

The building is accessed from the main street, Jalan Malioboro, another important stop in the city, with shops, typical restaurants and stalls overlooking the street.

After lunch we moved to Taman Sari, the palace on the water wanted by the sultan and built in the eighteenth century as a pleasure palace.

The swimming pool in the center can reserve some pleasant photographic glimpses, but the highlight of the area is the underground mosque nearby.

It can be reached through an intricate labyrinth of alleys, and once you get to the place you can see a very bizarre step staircase, worthy of Escher.

At the end of the day, it deserves a delicious typical Indonesian dinner at the curious restaurant "The House of Raminten" (booking recommended), with its rooms full of tacky objects that happily coexist with each other such as a carriage, a statue of Jesus winking, some national flag and the mannequin of the owner of the place.