With the high holy days upon us, my thoughts turn to the majestic Synagogue of Trieste. It comes alive this time of year as local Jews gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (“Jewish New Year”) and Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”); In fact, the Synagogue will be closed to visitors for the next month (until October…
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…
The name is a little misleading….Trieste doen’t have a Metro line and for now, and Google search brings up just the local “Restaurant Depot” style store METRO in Valmaura. But, just like mushrooms sprouting after our rainy spring, 111 new totems have “popped up” around the city of Trieste: 111 totems outlining 7 itinieraries around…
Wow, no one really knows how this summer is going to pan out. Theoretically “the worst is over” but then there are concerns of a “second wave”. Right now we are living in this world of contrasts wondering if plans made long ago should still be fulfilled. Many of us hoping to see family overseas…
La Pintadera is quickly becoming an anchor store on the newly revitalized Via XXX Ottobre. Just kitty-corner from the gorgeous fruttivendolo TRIESTE FUNGHI, it is another oasis of color, fragrances and beauty. While primarily a florist offering both fresh cut and potted plants and flowers, the shop is also part home store, art and jewlery…
While Trieste and the rest of Italy are trying to bravely return to normality, we might see instances of bacchanal frenzy , but mostly we see tepid attempts to resume regular activities. Going to a popular cafe’ over the holiday weekend, you see contradictions: people trying to drink, eat and talk with masks half on…
This week Trieste, along with the rest of Italy, has begun a nearly full easing of the restrictions that have been in place for the last 10 weeks in response to the COVID-19 crisis. I ventured out yesterday, partly out of curiosity, mostly because I had some errands to run, but also to support local…
It seems incredible that after 4 years of living here, I’m still able to uncover things about this city that I never knew before. It seems that Trieste is the birthplace of Italy’s commercial air travel. 97 years ago, commercial flights began departing from Trieste. Yes, I know, that seems very far-fetched and yet it’s…
So after 8 weeks of lockdown, we are embarking on “Phase 2”, the slow reopening of Italian life, the economy and the business of “getting back to normal”. In my mind I see those time-lapse videos of springtime flowers bursting through the soil, first weak and fragile sprouts shoot straight up, determined to burst open…
Going to catch the number 9 bus on Viale Mazzini, one passes a building with the inscription Hotel de la Ville. Just the name transports me; I immediately envision corsetted women with elegant bustles and bootlets, with dizzying amounts of laces walking with their moustached gentlemen in top hats and carrying walking canes. It’s hard…
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…
So if you’re like me, by now you’ve cleaned out the medicine cabinet, purged your make-up collection of anything from before 2019, reorganized your sock drawer etc. The lockdown is getting extended and you feel bored and helpless. What can you do? Most of us watch the battle against the virus from afar. Sure, we…
Well, needless to say, there’s not much to report this week. Everything and everyone is on lockdown. Incredibly (I have to say this again) it seems people are really taking this seriously and respecting the rules and dutifully filling out their “passes” for any outside trip to the pharmacy or grocery store. As an aside,…
While Italy is seeing the globe’s second worse outbreak of the Coronavirus after China, the Italians’ ability to conform and follow national directives to observe a near total lockdown have surprised many both in Italy and abroad. I have to say that I am grateful and proud to live in Trieste and to have the…
With Spring coming early this year, the farmers’ markets are already selling the local erbe spontanee (spontaneous herbs a.k.a. wild edibles) like bladder campion silene vulgaris, wild asparagus, dandelion and aglio orsino = wild garlic (the Italian name means “Bear Garlic” because, apparently, bears waking from their hibernation tend to eat it in huge quantities). I…
