The lands of Trieste A thousand faces to see, in an original blend of cultures, religions and architectures. Getting a feel of the atmospheres described by great writers, or creating your own. Seeking inspiration in the historic coffee houses and pastry shops… Trieste, a view prawled between the rugged Carso and contemplate the calm Adriatic, and the next S the Adriatic Sea, the fascinating city you are being buffeted by a sudden gust of of Trieste offers tourists a unique and the Bora wind. You can wander through the unforgettable holiday. A border land and antique shops in the jumbled lanes of the merchant port, with a history that has been old city, or find yourself in the Hapsburg of the world continuously troubled, from the remote past orderliness of the borgo teresiano; tasting till recent times, Trieste is a melting pot of the finest coffee blends in the historic cultures, religions, architectures, languages, coffee house Tommaseo or savouring ethnic groups and products of great a delicious presnitz in the pastry shop interest. Countless itineraries weave through patronized by Joyce; not to mention the the city, whose origins are on the hill delicious legendary boiled meat of Austrian of San Giusto, where the medieval castle tradition and the sardoni in savor stands. Trieste is home to a large number of accompanied by a glass of fine wine in one religions: the main churches have stood here of the century-old osterias. In Trieste you for centuries. The architectural styles of the can recognize the streets, the images and palazzos also vary greatly: Neoclassical, Art the atmospheres already described by the Nouveau, Eclectic and Baroque sit happily greatest authors, or you could write about side by side, as do the many Roman ruins some of your own. The infinite magic of this and 18th-century edifices. Trieste and its city will enable you to write an unforgettable thousand faces: one day you sit down to page about your visit to Friuli Venezia Giulia. 3 Visiting the city Keep to the waterfront, to admire the elegant palazzos facing out over the horizon. Come to the spectacular Piazza Unità, to discover historic edifices and coffee houses. Wander aimlessly through the old town or walk towards the wide roads of unmistakable Hapsburg style, as far as the “Viale”, an avenue teeming with life. rom the train station in Piazza Libertà, walk down corso Cavour as far as Canal part of the city, or go left towards nearby F Grande, dug in 1756 to allow sailing ships to unload their goods right inside the Piazza della Borsa, with the impressive town. The canal used to come up as far as the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio nuovo, but Palazzo della Borsa, the stock exchange the last stretch has been filled in, and it can now only be used by small boats as a bridge building featuring a deep pronaos and prevents sailing boats from passing through. The canal is scenically closed off by the enormous allegorical statues. Chiesa di Sant’Antonio and crossed by the Ponterosso bridge, whose name generally This leads onto Corso Italia, known as indicates this area. It is flanked by beautiful palazzos, including Palazzo Corso, the town’s main thoroughfare, also Carciotti, now the headquarters of the harbour office. As you proceed flanked by interesting palazzos. This takes with the sea on your right, on the left lies Hotel de la Ville, followed by you as far as Piazza Goldoni, a square the chiesa di San Nicolò dei Greci and piazzetta Tommaseo, with its linked to several roads; and to the Scala famed historic coffee house, a former centre of patriotic unrest dei Giganti which leads up to San Giusto and still a haunt for artists. Further on, past Molo Audace, and the Sandrinelli tunnel, built in 1904. the pier, on your right, lies Piazza Unità, one of the most Behind the square lies Via Carducci, beautiful spots in the city. Today the splendid, another important thoroughfare built on rectangular piazza is bordered by impressive palazzos: the bed of a stream filled in in 1850: at the back lies Palazzo Comunale, the town hall, whose its austere palazzos, its magnificent width, construction began in 1872; on the north east side bordered by trees, the lovely avenues stand Palazzo Modello, erected in 1870; Casa Stratti, branching off from it (in particular which houses Caffé degli Specchi, one of the oldest Viale XX Settembre, affectionately known coffee houses in Trieste, inaugurated in 1839 and recently as Viale or Acquedotto, because it was completely refurbished and Palazzo del Governo (the headquarters of the originally the Theresian aqueduct) prefect); on the opposite side of the square you find Palazzo Pitteri and recall the Austrian-style layout which Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino, the oldest shipping company in Italy and one dominated nineteenth-century Trieste. of the oldest in the world. From Piazza Unità you can enjoy a short walk through the charming lanes of Cavana, the characteristic old Guida Artistica del Friuli Venezia Giulia - G. Bergamini 4 5 Castello di Miramare, An enchanting place stretching out over the sea, the setting of the love story between the archduke Maximilian of the jewel of the gulf Hapsburg and Charlotte. Enriched by a large park, with trees from all over the world. At its feet, the WWF has created an invaluable marine reserve. here is one destination which looms Trees were imported from all over the T large on any trip to Trieste: the world: firs from Spain and the Himalayas, charming Castello di Miramare, the cedars from North Africa and Lebanon, most famous place along the Trieste coast, cypresses and redwoods from America. an indissoluble part of the city’s landscape One part was landscaped as an Italian and history. This splendid castle was built garden and its wide terraces slope gently by the archduke Ferdinand Maximilian down towards the sea. Along the coast Joseph of Hapsburg, on a rock foreland overlooked by the Miramare park, jutting out over the sea in Grignano. the WWF has Legend has it that the nobleman, taken created a Marine by surprise by a storm at sea, found Park of about 30 shelter in the tiny bay of Grignano, and the hectares, whose enchanting place appealed to him so much fauna and flora he decided to build his residence there. are protected. His young wife, Charlotte, also settled there. In the sumptuous rooms furnished in varying styles, the couple lived the happiest moments of their love story, before it suddenly came to a tragic end with Maximilian’s death in Mexico. The castle is surrounded by a park of 22 hectares, one of the largest in north Italy. 6 7 rotta Gigante, an exceptional karst G phenomenon, is situated in Borgo Grotta Gigante. An extraordinary underground spectacle opens up at the bottom of the entrance steps to the cave, with stalactites and stalagmites of unbelievable shapes and sizes. The central chamber is well lit and can be visited throughout; the sheer size of it is remarkable: 380 metres in length, 65 metres wide and 107 metres high. It is the largest tourist cavity worldwide: large enough to contain the entire Basilica of Saint Peter. The Museo Speleologico is at the entrance to the cave and displays interesting documents on the history of Trieste speleology. The karst he karst plateau is an ideal place for certain products for a period of eight days T cycle tourism and trekking for many (osem in Slovenian). plateau is an reasons. It is of great naturalistic In the osmizas and the agriturismo inns, unmistakable, importance, both for its unusual geology which are signposted with a leafy branch and for its flora and fauna, but Carso is hung beside the road, in the neighbourhood unusual blend also an area of historical/cultural interest, and outside the house, you can taste and Grotta Gigante of nature and thanks to the typical villages which fit purchase the specialities of the area. perfectly into their environmental setting. The inland offers top quality products: history. Cross The rural nature of this land, especially in besides the wines, especially the white it on a bicycle the area around Sgonico, is expressed in wine, cooking the countless agriturismo inns and osmizas, connoisseurs and or on foot, whose origins date back to the period of experts also greatly and stop off for the Austro-Hungarian empire, when the appreciate the olive Emperor, in 1784, granted the farmers oil produced in the wonderful breaks permission for the direct sale of wine and Trieste Carso. in agriturismo inns or in an osmiza. Find these by following the Carso leafy branches rom the top of Monrupino hill, you can admire a panoramic view over the Gulf signposting the F of Trieste. The village is dominated by the Rocca, initially an important prehistoric way and treat castelliere, then a fortified Roman castellum and finally a fortress, for protection against the Turks. In 1512 a church was erected, dedicated to Beata Vergine Assunta; your palate to it eventually became a Sanctuary. This spot is also the venue for the “Karst Weddings”: wonderful oil four-day celebrations held every two years in August. The “casa carsica” in Repen is also a wonderful house museum to visit. It dates back to the nineteenth century and conserves and famed wines. all the architectural features typical of the karst rural tradition. This immense natural chamber is one of the largest tourist cavities worldwide: large enough to contain the entire Basilica of Saint Peter. Grotta Gigante is an underground spectacle staged in between myriad stalactites and stalagmites.