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…
Thanks to this #Covid-19 #lockdown, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands to dedicate myself to #QuarantineCooking. If you look at my Instagram page, you can see I’ve been cranking out cakes, pastas, exotic asian dishes, elaborate salads etc. However, sometimes you just want to let someone else do the cooking. During this…
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…
Walking around Trieste, one often stumbles upon a beautiful building that has been shuttered for many years, if not decades… relics of a once vibrant past when the city was the epicenter of trade and culture as the port city of the Austrian Empire. Often one hears descriptions of these once great palazzi; the beautiful…
A new restaurant has recently opened in Trieste’s commercial district on Via Macchiavelli. This area, which until recently had been a little depressed and filled primarily with commercial offices and dollar stores, is seeing a resurgence with a crop of new bars and restaurants to match the increasing residential renovation projects of the district. PaPi…
At first glance it appears a “new” restaurant has opened on the Rive, just across the street from Eataly — in fact, Joia opened 4 years ago in Via Diaz, but recently relocated to this prime spot on the waterfront. When I first saw it in its original location, I was impressed by the spillover…
The Greek community has had a healthy presence in Trieste since Charles VI declared Trieste a free port in 1719, opening the city up to trade and the establishment of many different ethnic communities within the city. Still today there are many families of Greek heritage in Trieste and they continue to play an important…
I have had some wonderful meals at the Ristorante Al Monastero, a restaurant in Cividale del Friuli that serves traditional friulian cuisine. The old-style building was once a fraternity house of the order of Santa Maria dei Battuti (a secular medieval order sworn to offer aid and assistance in the form of hospice, shelter and…
Trieste is famous for its “buffets”. No, not the American style, all-you-can-eat self service brunchy buffet you’re thinking of…. In Trieste, buffets are an institution, a legacy from the days under the Austro-Hungarian Empire of which the city is still proud. The buffet is a “democratic” eatery equally loved by workers, students, retirees and ladies…
I recently read an article by a fellow American and writer, Noah Charney, who lives in Slovenia, about his Ski and Swim Challenge. Basically, Slovenia, our lovely neighbor to the north and east, boasts “that the country is so compact, with such a diversity of terrain, that you can ski in the morning and swim…
I often take friends just over the border for delicious meals at some of the classic Slovenian Gostilnas, but on a Tuesday nights, many are closed. Luckily my pals on a Triestine cooking page on Facebook suggested I try Trattoria Valeria 1904 in Opicina. A friend of mine who is a “buona forchetta” (a “good…
Centrally located in the heart of the shopping district on via San Niccolo’, Zushi is the “go-to” sushi restaurant in Trieste. Clean, modern, light and fresh, Zushi is very inviting. Attentive staff, excellent quality products and well-maintained premises make coming here a no-brainer. The only drawback for me is their tendency to incorporate cream cheese…
For a city on the sea, Trieste surprisingly has very few places in town where to eat on the waterfront. City planners promise there will be more to come, but in the meantime, these are the ones I would recommend for enjoying the view, the food and sometimes both. Some are better than others but…
There is a sense of renewal in Trieste. New stores and restaurants are popping up and although it is a small city, it is always bustling with activities and events. Bars and restaurants are well attended as the Triestines love meeting friends for aperitivi or going out for dinner. The “Sacchetta” neighborhood (near the Port…
Antico Caffe’ San Marco is one of the most iconic historic cafes in the heart of Trieste and must not be missed. Established in 1914, it soon became the intellectual hub of the city. Writers, artists, musicians, students and activists (the “Irredentisti”) all met here to read the daily paper, study, write, discuss and debate the…
