Driving along Viale Miramare, one passes a large expanse of seemingly abandoned buildings and warehouses. This is the Porto Vecchio, the Old Port of Trieste. When I first visited here 5 years ago, most of it was closed off to the public. One could gain access only with special permission and armed with a passport…
Recognized as one of the forefathers of Italian advertising poster art “Cartonellismo”, Leopoldo Metlicovitz is being commemorated with twin exhibits at the beautiful Carlo Schmidel Museum on the famed Canal Grande and at the sumptuous Museo Revoltella off of the trendy Via Torino. Leopoldo Metlicovitz (1868-1944), a native of Trieste, worked primarily in Milan for…
Trieste is inherently tied to Vienna. Having been under Austrian rule since as far back as 1382, when the main citizens of Trieste in petitioned Leopold III of Habsburg, Duke of Austria in order to become part of his domains. Subsequently Trieste gained wealth and importance as the port city of the consolidated Austrian Littoral. It became little Vienna on the…
Trieste’s public transportation includes a very efficient and environmentally friendly bus service and ferry service (Delfino Verde). Recently added to Trieste’s system is the new HopTour bus service. Many tourists who visit Trieste don’t often rent cars, and yet several of the sightseeing hotspots are not located in the downtown area. Here’s where HopTour comes…
Just north of Trieste, next door to Opicina, lies the town of Monrupino (Repentabor in Slovenian *). It is marked by the Sanctuary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin which can be seen perched atop the hill overlooking the Karst. This is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike as, from here, you…
Often referred to as the “lungs” of the city, Trieste’s parks and gardens offer pleasant refuge from the dog days of summer and lovely displays of color in spring and fall. Trieste’s main gardens prominently featuring botanical specimens are: The Civico Orto Botanico: Established in 1842 the city-run botanical garden is a small but lush…
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…
While visiting the Museo Diocesano in Udine recently, I came upon an unusual collection of small paintings. Each one depicted a particularly gruesome scene; someone falling from a rooftop, someone being gored in the eye by a bull, someone being trampled by a carriage and so on. They reminded me of the terrible illustrations…
Udine is, as the locals say, “the Milan” of the FVG region, meaning it is industrious, full of hard working people and often finds itself a little out of step with its more leisurely and chill neighbors. Not often considered a tourist destination, it is in fact ideally situated in the Province of Udine which…
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011 (recognized as the capitol of the Lombard Duchy and first stop in the “The Lombards in Italy, the places of power (568-774 A.D.)” UNESCO Itinerary), Cividale del Friuli is an intriguing town. Situated high above the Natisone River which, like the Isonzo river, is an amazing shade of emerald green…
Just 45 minutes from Trieste is one of the most unusual and interesting museums I’ve seen. It is a museum dedicated to farm-life and the history of farming in the Friuli region. The large and impressive collection of over 20,000 items (with more coming in every day) is housed in an old farmstead in the center of the…
The legend of the “Lady in White” is a common one around the world. Often, it refers to the ghost of a woman who, in life, has suffered abuse or unbearable tragedy so as to deprive her of peace in the afterlife. Even Trieste has its “lady in white” — in fact — there are even a…
The Castle of Duino is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Trieste area. It is a little more rustic than Miramare but much more soulful and romantic. It maybe because of its location on the windswept cliffs of Duino overlooking the sea and the ancient ruins of the castle of the Patriarch…
Spilimbergo is a town located northeast of Venice in the province of Pordenone in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The town is best known as the home of the Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli (Mosaic Academy of Friuli), which was founded in 1922. It is definitely underrated and worth the under 90 minute trip from Trieste. Upon our arrival (on…
One of the iconic symbols of Trieste, the Castello di Miramare sparkles like a pearl on the Triestine coastline. Built in the mid 1850s by Carl Junker as the seaside residence for Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian of Habsburg (brother of Emperor Franz Joseph) and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, it boasts a 54 acre English style garden filled…
