“The Fava Beans of the Dead” sounds particularly well-suited to this time of year, now that we’re coming up to Halloween and the Giorno dei Morti, or day of the dead. Each year, starting in October, piles of pink, white and brown round treats fill the windows of the local bakeries. These are the the Fave…
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…
The Teatro Giuseppe Verdi of Trieste is a beautiful pink and white confection just next to Piazza Unita’ often referred to as the “Salotto di Trieste”, (The Drawing Room of Trieste). It is home to the Symphony, Ballet and Opera in Trieste. Under the guidance of Stefano Pace, it’s superintendent, the Verdi has just…
Once the great port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and located at the crossroads of Mittle-Europe, Trieste was and has always been a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural hub. Here it’s easy to find diverse places of worship that date back to when Maria Theresa and her son Emperor Joseph II, ruled over the city. In an attempt to…
The Trieste Golf Club is the oldest golf course in the FVG Region. Designed and originally built as a 9-hole course by the American Troops immediately after the end of World War II in 1954, it was extended to an 18-hole course in 2005, when the club celebrated its 50th anniversary. At…
When I found out I’d be moving to Trieste – a part of Italy previously unknown to me – I looked at a map and asked my husband, “are you sure we are moving to Italy?” On the map, Trieste is a crescent shape hugging the Adriatic, but to me, it most decidedly looked…
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…
Located in the heart of Trieste is the ancient Teatro Romano. Dating back to the 1st Century AD it was built by Quintus Petronius Modestus, a statesman during the reign of Emperor Trajan (who was step-father to Hadrian). The Roman Theatre is nestled at the foot of the hill of San Giusto whose slope provided…
Centrally located in the heart of the shopping district on via San Niccolo’, Zushi is the “go-to” sushi restaurant in Trieste. Clean, modern, light and fresh, Zushi is very inviting. Attentive staff, excellent quality products and well-maintained premises make coming here a no-brainer. The only drawback for me is their tendency to incorporate cream cheese…
For a city on the sea, Trieste surprisingly has very few places in town where to eat on the waterfront. City planners promise there will be more to come, but in the meantime, these are the ones I would recommend for enjoying the view, the food and sometimes both. Some are better than others but…
There is a sense of renewal in Trieste. New stores and restaurants are popping up and although it is a small city, it is always bustling with activities and events. Bars and restaurants are well attended as the Triestines love meeting friends for aperitivi or going out for dinner. The “Sacchetta” neighborhood (near the Port…
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…
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…
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…
