- Wed 27th – Sun 31st May
Accommodation: Mira Verde Apartment booked on AirBnB.
Wed 27th May
It was good timing to be leaving Venice as rain had arrived but we left that behind us on our drive down to Trieste. We met up with Colleen and David at Palmanova for lunch and made it to Trieste by 2.30 pm. Our apartment was in a pedestrian only zone but we were able to pullover to unload our luggage just 100m from the building so that worked out well.
Trieste is the capital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of NE Italy and sits on the border between Italy, Slovenia and the Adriatic coast with its population being a mixture of Slavic, Serbian and Italian (Fruilian). We were all amazed by the large number of majestic historic buildings (18th / 19th century) but read up to find that Trieste had been the major sea port during the Habsburg monarchy of 1282-1918 as well as being at the end of the maritime Silk Road. We hoped to discover more over the coming days and had a self guided walking tour lined up for tomorrow morning.
Our apartment was located in a converted palazzo that was one of the beautiful buildings that features on the walking tour circuit. It was built in 1842 by a group of wealthy businessmen as a building to promote and support commerce in the area and was the location of the stock exchange during the Habsburg period. It was occupied by the Germans during WW2 but now holds a mix of residential and commercial properties. Our apartment was quite grand with its 13 foot ceilings!
We were all a bit tired after our various journeys, and the heat did not help, so we only ventured out for an aperitivo before heading back for an early night. We had all been caught by surprise at just how hot it was and David even had to buy a T-shirt to cope with the weather!
Thurs 28th May
It was a glorious morning and shaping up to be another hot one so Mark and David set off early for their first bike ride of the trip and Colleen and I headed out for a walk.
Yesterday we had received excellent information from the tourist office and found they also offered an audio guide to help explore the city so we headed back this morning and borrowed sets to guide us on our exploration. The morning’s walk took us from the waterfront region and up a rather steep hill, San Giusto Hill, to the site of the original Roman settlement and where the similarly named Cathedral and Castle were located. It was well worth the walk though as the Cathedral had the most beautiful 12th century gold mosaics, very similar to those found in Ravenna. It is a must-see if you’re ever in the area.
When we had collected our audio guides the lovely tourist office lady had advised us that the walking tour would take about 2 hours but we had only covered half of the content some 3 hours later. So we hit pause on the guide and headed back to the apartment to have lunch with the aim of completing the remaining content after our siesta. We were really slotting into the groove of things over here.
It was after 3 pm before we ventured out again and we finished off our self guided walking tour. This had been a great activity to give us some background about Trieste and is an activity I’d highly recommend. The tourist office also run English speaking tours but only on a Sunday which didn’t work for us. We finished off with an aperitivo and then headed back to the apartment for a night of dining in.
Fri 29th May
It was another glorious morning and started in the same way as yesterday: a bike ride for the boys and a walk for the girls. Our main activity for today was a trip out to visit Miramare Castle; we caught the ferry out there but got a bus back to town.
It was beautiful weather for the 50 minute ferry trip and a lovely way to arrive at the castle as you could take in the majestic grandeur of the building, as it loomed large on a rocky promontory jutting out on a small headland. The ferry dropped us at a small harbour around from the castle where we had a bite to eat before taking the 10 minute walk up the hill to the castle. We then spent about 2 hours visiting the castle, and some of the grounds, with the aid of an audio guide.
The castle was built in 1856 by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and it had been a private residence for himself and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium. Charlotte was first cousins with Queen Victoria and second cousins with her own husband! The castle was a grand place indeed but poorly designed, in my opinion, as they had not done enough to maximize the glorious views from each of the rooms. The poor Archduke only got to live in the castle for 4 years though as he was sent by Napoleon III (Napoleon’s nephew) to Mexico where he was eventually executed by firing squad after being isolated when Napoleon III withdrew troops from the region.
The castle and contents were most impressive and it’s well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area. Interestingly, the contents of the castle on display were all original to the castle and were preserved during WWI by removal to Vienna and during WWII by removal and storage to various warehouses. Your mind will boggle at the enormity of what this task must have been should you ever visit the castle.
The ferry timings did not work for our trip home so we caught the bus back to the apartment where we all rested for a bit before heading out for aperitivo but it was then another night of dining at home. Coll and I ventured out after dinner to watch the sunset and the whole waterfront area was packed with folk doing much the same. Trieste has the most wonderful atmosphere at day and at night and it’s a lovely place to be spending some time.
Sat 30th May
It was another magnificent morning and the boys had a ride whilst Coll and I walked. I’d had little sleep overnight as the Friday night rave party, directly below our bedroom, send sound shockwaves through my body from 9pm until midnight. Mark was not as severely impacted as a belly fully of alcohol seemed to offer him some protection. I think I might have to join him tonight as a check of the instagram account suggests the event will be back on tonight.
It was our last full day in Trieste and we’d already ticked off most of the big ticket items for the area. Coll and I spent the morning visiting the Museum of Art in Fashion, which was very interesting and well worth the visit, whilst the boys took a tour on the Hop On Hop Off bus so as to rest their bike-weary legs that they also greatly enjoyed. We all caught up back at the apartment for lunch and to rest.
We made one more visit to our favorite aperitivo bar, LYFE, before dinner and were surprised to see how busy the place was. Our dinner was at Osteria Marise and this was excellent. We drifted home after dinner via the waterfront to catch the sunset and found the place to be a busy as it was last night and I gathered this was a regular ritual for the locals. There was one last stop for gelato before heading home for the evening.
We had greatly enjoyed our time in Trieste and our apartment was very comfortable and well located. Maybe just try to avoid staying on a Friday night though! Trieste was an authentic Italian town with loads of cafes, bar and restaurants. There were few tourists though, other than Italians, and the place had a relaxed family vibe. It is a most picturesque town as well with the grand and magnificent buildings along the seafront and there is a lot of history and beauty to discover as you stroll the area. Make sure to catch the sunset down at the waterfront too. This was a most popular event each evening with locals.
