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…
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…
Jutting out above the rive (waterfront) from the molo (pier) 23 is Trieste’s unofficial mascot, URSUS. A piece of industrial archeology dating back to 1913, it is one of the largest and oldest floating steel cranes in the world. Outfitted with an electrical system, motors and 2 rudders, the crane is equipped with an arm able…
With All Saints Day coming upon us, I could have easily recycled one of the articles on the famous Fave Triestine, the tri-colored “Day of the Dead” cookies that are ubiquitous in shop windows this time of year, but instead I want to tell you about where you can actually visit the dead here in…
Here we are coming up on Halloween and all I can think of is Venzone. Host to the annual Festa della Zucca, the Pumpkin Festival, for the last 27 years, I have been jonesing to go and see for myself both the town and the festivities. Like a child hopped up on halloween candy, I have…
This year, Trieste celebrates 51 years of the Barcolana Autumn Cup Regatta (La Barcolana), organized by the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. This is one of Trieste’s premiere events for locals and visitors alike and is the world’s largest regatta. For 2019’s race, the organization had to place a cap of 2,700 on the number of entries, as the…
I have lived next door to this Villa since I moved to Trieste. Sealed off to the public by iron gates and a stone wall and video cameras with a sign warning “Military Zone – Keep Out – Armed Guards” I was of course even more curious to understand how this once beautiful villa came to…
The Basilica Paleocristiana (Early Christian Basilica) is of significant religious and artistic importance to Trieste. Built between the 4th and 6th centuries AD, it is located in via Madonna del Mare in Cavana, an area that fell outside the walls of ancient Trieste (Tergeste) along a road dotted with burial sites leading to the Roman…
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…
People often complain that Trieste is so remote — and Triestines joke that they like it that way! But in fact, this famous gateway to “MittleEurope” is undergoing a transformation to make it even more accessible. The biggest news is the new train connection between Trieste and the local international airport Aeroporto Friuli Venezia Giulia (TRS)…
The Molo Audace is perhaps one of the most iconic piers in Europe, if not the world. Jutting out in front of what is the largest piazza facing open water, it hides a secret … buried beneath it is the relic of the old San Carlo, a large merchant ship which it is said to…
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…
When you’re in Trieste, it’s hard to miss the strange, quasi-pyramid looking structure overlooking the sea from high above Barcola. Locals refer to it as el formaggin “the little cheese”, as it recalls the triangular shape of the cheese wedges beloved by children (think Laughing Cow), with the tip bitten off. When you learn its real…
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…
