In Piazza Giotti, just across the street from the Jewish Synagogue is a wonderful little deli or Salumeria run by the Fontanot family. The walls and doors outside are covered with signs describing their inventory. But right away you sense there is something different. Perhaps the meticulous and measured calligraphy evoking some medieval manuscript or…
When I first arrived to Trieste, I discovered the most surprising and magical little shop, Funghi Trieste. I don’t remember now if back then they also had the fruit and vegetable shop next door, but as I recall, in 2015 it was just a tiny little nook, maybe 20 x 10 square feet, just enough…
Despite this brief throwback to winter-like weather, Spring in Trieste is definitely on its way! Lots of fun events are gearing up and to be sure you don’t miss out on the fun — here’s a little preview of what you can look forward to in the coming weeks. May 9 – marks the start of…
There is a delightful little street hidden behind Corso Italia called Via Degli Artisti which is home to several cute shops, among them, a little gem called TEA TIME which sells a vast assortment of teas and spices. When you walk in, you realize that this is much more than a tea shop, it is…
Last month, on January 24, amid little fanfare or celebration, the Despar supermarket opened its doors onto Piazza Unita’. Long awaited, much debated and controversial, the arrival of a supermarket on the most iconic piazza in Italy was largely frowned upon by almost everyone in Trieste, concerned that it would “cheapen” the piazza and quickly…
As a carnivorous American with a penchant for good, flavorful meat, I had a hard time finding both a good butcher in Trieste and quality meat. In fact, when I first got here, many locals suggested I go to Slovenia to buy meat. There, I was told in a hushed whisper, the meat was better…
Silvia Rossi is a wisp of a woman whose creativity bubbles, breaking the surface and it is barely contained by the walls of her tiny atelier at the foot of Castello San Giusto in Trieste. I first met her on a freezing cold winter day at a market organized by Barbacan Produce (a group of…
On a little winding side street, in the old neighborhood of Cavana one finds TERRA MATER, a little gourmet shop specialized in bringing to market small producer delicacies native to the Friuli, Venezia Giulia Region. The shop opened a little less than a year ago under the guidance of Ervin Rama, and with the help…
Trieste fashion is very understated. Of course, there are the “suits” (mostly employees of the two large insurance firms in town, Generali and Allianz) and then the old guard, a squadron of elderly ladies who are meticulously attired with matching handbags and shoes in toney shades of browns, blues and greys. But mostly, people are…
My awareness of the increasingly widespread problem of gluten intolerance has grown enormously since I moved to Italy. It seems ironic that a country that is synonymous with pasta and some of the most amazing bread in the world should have such a high incidence of sufferers. According to the Italian Health Commission on Celiac…
Walking down the Via Valdirivo, under the greyness of the winter day, I was greeted by an explosion of color and light. A storefront window festooned with fabric flag banners in joyous wild patterns drew me in. I had stumbled upon the brick and mortar incarnation of Patchworkvictim.it, an eshop that sells “American” fabrics for…
Diffusione Tessile is among one of the first outlets and stock houses (known also as “spaccio aziendale”) that appeared in the Italian landscape in the 1990s. Over the years, there has been a steady growth of both the number of outlets and the quality and quantity of apparel items available at bargain prices (check out…
Where do Triestines go when they are looking for authentic home-cooked meals? Look no further than Mariabologna. I have often passed by this shop in Via Cesare Battisti and and immediately sensed that there was something special about this shop…that somehow time had stood still here, preserving all that was good. From the vintage whimsical…
A mere 20 minutes from downtown Trieste is the Slovenian port-city of Koper or Capodistria. It has many attractions; good restaurants, a gracious historic downtown lined with lovely shops, nice shopping malls and even a very well-regarded university. But the real reason we enjoy going is the foreign language movie policy. In Slovenia, most films are…
Just up the hill near the Tram stop in Opicina, there is a remarkable shop specialized in frozen foods. When I say frozen goods I mean — EVERY KIND OF FROZEN FOOD IMAGINABLE — It’s basically the Disneyland of frozen food. Even if you never buy frozen, it is a SIGHT TO SEE! You can find…
