With the last gasp of summer closing out August, Trieste turns a corner. Yes, it’s back to school and back to work for many but despite this return to the normal rhythm of life, Trieste still exudes a bubbly feeling of excitement. The days begin with a crispness in the air but soon enough, the sun warms up. The sea and sky compete for brilliant blues and the city is effervescent — We have entered the Fifth Season of Trieste.
The gulf of Trieste is dotted with sailboats large and small, some participating in small regattas sponsored by the various local yacht clubs, others are just practicing their skills, their crews and testing the mettle of their boats while others are simply soaking up the season. All of this activity is in anticipation of the Barcolana, the crowned jewel of international sailing events held each year in Trieste, it is the world’s largest regatta.
Events aren’t just on the water, the city comes alive with a myriad of activities on land as well, from food markets, crafts fairs, cultural events, exhibits, festivals and sagre (celebrations of specific agricultural products ie, potatoes, cheeses, truffles, wines, cured meats, pumpkins, you name it!). The Fifth season started with the launch of the first annual Piano City Trieste, an event which is the brain-child of Andreas Kern, South African pianist, artistic director, producer, and composer who thrives on celebrating classical music in unconventional ways. Piano concerts were in private homes, in interesting locations throughout the city and in unexpected surprise locations, played by locals as well as by pianists from the world over. September also sees the Symphonic season in full swing with Ballet performances gearing up at Trieste’s Teatro Verdi.
If you enjoy live music, concerts abound throughout Trieste, from open air Jazz performances at throughout the city to live music events at local bars featuring local artists, cover bands and some big headliners. A good place to find listings are Stasera a Trieste on Facebook and Trieste’s online newspaper TriestePrima. And there is no shortage of photographic & art exhibits which can be found on TriesteCultura‘s page online. Also happening is SloFest, a celebration of the Slovenian community in Trieste.
Trieste offers something for everybody; we just hosted the 8th annual Trofeo Ponterosso, a Kayak-Polo competition and this weekend will see the start of the Adriatic Adventure Rally featuring Vintage cars racing down through the Balkan countries to MonteNegro and back to Trieste. Cinema festivals, Science festivals — the choices are seemingly endless — one might even get a little “FOMO” (fear of missing out)!
The Fifth Season also coincides with the start of the harvest and we see lots of Sagre and food related festivals. This month Trieste will host the International Street Food Festival, The Italian Street Food Festival while nearby in Udine there is FriuliDoc, a celebration of local FVG regional foods and products.
Castelli Aperti, is a fun opportunity to visit historic castles and (some still in use) private dwellings of the local nobility.
And abundant are opportunities to eat and drink well, with wineries opening their doors to showcase their products, Osmize laying out tables full of their homemade wares from cheeses, to “insaccati” (cured meats) and homemade wines and liqueurs. Fall is also a good time to cross the border to sample the crop of Istrian Gold aka truffles, served in every way imaginable; on toast, over scrambled eggs, in a creamy sauce over pasta, shaved over filet mignon…**swooning**
Trieste’s Fifth Season is a short but wonderful jam-packed season of fun, food, culture and excitement!
Discover Trieste from those who know it best!! 