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…
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…
Many people don’t realize how sprawling Trieste is. It’s not just what you see when you are down on the waterfront – Trieste is a multicultural and multilingual metropolis and it offers a very diverse landscape – from the popular Rive on the seaside, to tiny towns nestled in the Carso, to the old city,…
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…
Trieste doesn’t disappoint on New Year’s Eve, (“la vigilia di Capodanno”). Celebrations abound at clubs, restaurants and bars throughout the city and this year, New Year’s eve celebrations also return to the beautiful medieval Castello San Giusto, offering a prime position from which to view the fireworks over the gulf of Trieste. The party in…
Trieste’s City Hall or Municipio is the most iconic landmark of the City. It presides over Europe’s largest piazza overlooking the sea. It is beautiful in the day and even more so at night, when it is illuminated. Designed by Giuseppe Bruni, it was built between 1873 and 1875 on the site previously occupied by the Magistrate’s Palace and Loggia, incorporating…
Just north of Trieste is Borgo Grotta Gigante, home to one of the world’s largest tourist caves, second only to La Verna cave in south-western France. The cave, aptly named Grotta Gigante (Giant cave) is also known as Riesengrotte or as Grotta di Brisciachi, and is located on the Italian side of the Karst. Its central cavern is 107…
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…
