Recently, I’ve noticed calendar events popping up on Facebook announcing “Unfolding Paper Stories” with the accompanying photos displaying delightful and complex paper creations with the tag line: “not just for kids”! I was intrigued. The organizer is Annalisa Metus, a paper engineer (a title I have never heard of before) so I immediately reached out to her and…
As you may well have noticed, the days are a little longer, the sun a little warmer and the hillsides are now dotted with flowering trees. On the Carst, there are violets, crocuses, buttercups and daisies dotting the fields and roadside. Pretty soon, the first of the lucertole (lizards a.k.a. sun-seekers) will creep over to the…
On my way to the gym, I walk past a very pretty pastry shop. In contrast to the dark, grey buildings that surround it, the CADENARO shop in via Palestrina emits a golden glow. I finally caved and instead of marching ahead with resolute will-power, I allowed myself to be lured inside to look over…
This past Sunday, the Mayor of Trieste handed over the key to the city to the King and Queen of Carnevale 2019 to signify the start of the festivities. Fat Thursday is this week and already, families (with pets in tow) in matching outfits have taken to the streets with their adorable kids to festoon…
At first glance it appears a “new” restaurant has opened on the Rive, just across the street from Eataly — in fact, Joia opened 4 years ago in Via Diaz, but recently relocated to this prime spot on the waterfront. When I first saw it in its original location, I was impressed by the spillover…
Last month, on January 24, amid little fanfare or celebration, the Despar supermarket opened its doors onto Piazza Unita’. Long awaited, much debated and controversial, the arrival of a supermarket on the most iconic piazza in Italy was largely frowned upon by almost everyone in Trieste, concerned that it would “cheapen” the piazza and quickly…
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…
The Nonino family would be the first to tell you that there is no such thing as magic — only hard work and passion. And, if anything comes close to magic it is their matriarch, Giannola Nonino (nee’ Bulfoni in 1938 in Percoto (UD)) also known as the Queen of Grappa. When I was growing…
As a carnivorous American with a penchant for good, flavorful meat, I had a hard time finding both a good butcher in Trieste and quality meat. In fact, when I first got here, many locals suggested I go to Slovenia to buy meat. There, I was told in a hushed whisper, the meat was better…
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…
The Greek community has had a healthy presence in Trieste since Charles VI declared Trieste a free port in 1719, opening the city up to trade and the establishment of many different ethnic communities within the city. Still today there are many families of Greek heritage in Trieste and they continue to play an important…
As a gift to all of you, I thought I’d share my tried and true Christmas cookie recipes that I have been making year after year. Now that I have been living in Trieste for almost 3 years, these cookies have become a way for me to cherish my U.S. traditions as well as share…
In Trieste, every season and holiday has its “must-haves” sweets, whether it’s Titola for Easter, Gnocchi di Susine to mark the end of summer or Fave dei Morti in the Fall. Christmastime is no different and holiday tables will be laden with a variety of baked goods. Here are the desserts that you will surely find at a typical Triestine Christmas:…
Silvia Rossi is a wisp of a woman whose creativity bubbles, breaking the surface and it is barely contained by the walls of her tiny atelier at the foot of Castello San Giusto in Trieste. I first met her on a freezing cold winter day at a market organized by Barbacan Produce (a group of…
Just behind the Ospedale Maggiore there is a little oasis, it is l’annaffiatoio. This small flower shop carries a surprisingly large selection of all natural and high quality plants with a sort of “shabby chic” vibe. Owned by Luisa Cividin, the shop has been around for over 30 years. Luisa’s mom started the shop…
