With the high holy days upon us, my thoughts turn to the majestic Synagogue of Trieste. It comes alive this time of year as local Jews gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (“Jewish New Year”) and Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”); In fact, the Synagogue will be closed to visitors for the next month (until October…
With Covid-19 precautions in place, Trieste is adapting to the “new normal” and the events calendar is filling up with traditional events that have become milestones year after year and interesting new events that promise to offer entertainment and distraction from the general mood of 2020. With the last gasp of summer closing out August,…
Ok it’s September and I promised to return to the keyboard. Trieste is easing into the end of Summer and into what I like to call the “Fifth Season”. This is that time, after the traditional and predictable burrasca at the end of August — which saw rain, wind and flooding in parts of the…
With Summer options limited, now might be the perfect time to consider joining the The Trieste Golf Club. It is the oldest golf course in the FVG Region and was designed and originally built as a 9-hole course by the Allied Troops immediately after the end of World War II in 1954, it was extended…
Wow, no one really knows how this summer is going to pan out. Theoretically “the worst is over” but then there are concerns of a “second wave”. Right now we are living in this world of contrasts wondering if plans made long ago should still be fulfilled. Many of us hoping to see family overseas…
Many of us are starting to mull over what to do this summer. Taking planes, even trains might still seem a little risky. While Trieste is one of those cities that offers lots of options; water sports, cycling, hiking, cultural events etc. one does want a change of scenery every now and then. Luckily, we…
While Trieste and the rest of Italy are trying to bravely return to normality, we might see instances of bacchanal frenzy , but mostly we see tepid attempts to resume regular activities. Going to a popular cafe’ over the holiday weekend, you see contradictions: people trying to drink, eat and talk with masks half on…
This week Trieste, along with the rest of Italy, has begun a nearly full easing of the restrictions that have been in place for the last 10 weeks in response to the COVID-19 crisis. I ventured out yesterday, partly out of curiosity, mostly because I had some errands to run, but also to support local…
It seems incredible that after 4 years of living here, I’m still able to uncover things about this city that I never knew before. It seems that Trieste is the birthplace of Italy’s commercial air travel. 97 years ago, commercial flights began departing from Trieste. Yes, I know, that seems very far-fetched and yet it’s…
So after 8 weeks of lockdown, we are embarking on “Phase 2”, the slow reopening of Italian life, the economy and the business of “getting back to normal”. In my mind I see those time-lapse videos of springtime flowers bursting through the soil, first weak and fragile sprouts shoot straight up, determined to burst open…
Going to catch the number 9 bus on Viale Mazzini, one passes a building with the inscription Hotel de la Ville. Just the name transports me; I immediately envision corsetted women with elegant bustles and bootlets, with dizzying amounts of laces walking with their moustached gentlemen in top hats and carrying walking canes. It’s hard…
So many Italian cities, towns and regions have symbols to represent them. Some are associated with an historic landmark or a cathedral. Others use their heraldic seals to represent them and for some, there are architectural details or decorative items that represent them like the winged lion of Venice or the Pomo of Puglia or the…
I keep telling anyone who’ll listen that Italy has so many amazing and beautiful treasures to see that there is no actual need to travel out of the country. Just two hours from Trieste, in the Veneto region, is the city of Padova (Padua). A little smaller than Trieste, the city is just as enchanting;…
Ode to the Rosa di Gorizia courtesy of Rosenbar Restaurant In the dead of winter, when all else struggles to bloom, the Rosa di Gorizia is the first “flower” to appear in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. I’m talking about a local variety of red radicchio (Cichorium intybus) that has been cultivated in and…
This year will mark the 67th anniversary of the launch of the bathyscape TRIESTE and on January 23, 2020 we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its history making dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. From Greek words bathys=deep and scafos=ship, this deep submergence vehicle (DSV) was designed by Swiss scientist Auguste…
