Situated in north-eastern Italy, on a narrow strip of land between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, is the charming city and seaport of Trieste. It’s location at the head of the Gulf of Trieste and at the crossroads of Latin, Slavic, and Germanic cultures has left Trieste as a melting pot of cultures, traditions and history, and as a city with so much to offer its visitors. On our penultimate day in Padua we decided to hop aboard the train and make the journey eastwards along the coast to spend a day exploring Trieste.
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Arriving at Padua station just before 7 o’clock our first stop was the patisserie where we picked up a selection of pastries for the journey ahead. It then wasn’t long before we boarded the train, took our seats and set off towards Trieste. Our route roughly followed an arc around the northern end of the Adriatic, linking the towns and villages of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region of Italy. A lot of what we saw out of the window was farmland planted with crops such as maize, sugar-beet, wheat and soya beans. The final half-hour from Monfalcone to Trieste provided glorious views out across the waters of the Gulf of Trieste in one direction and a much more rugged slopes of the Karst plateau in the other.
We pulled into Trieste Centrale just before 10 o’clock and our first task was to get directions to the Villa Miramare, our intended first stop of the day. Thankfully a friendly local pointed us in the direction of a bus-stop on the Viale Miramare, just two-minutes’ walk away and after buying our tickets we climbed aboard the number 36 and began our short bus ride to the outskirts of town. The bus followed the coast, running parallel to the promenade at Barcola, the various beaches and the many bathing spots that coalesced to form a 4 km stretch of sea-front (once part of the so-called Austrian Riviera). Everywhere you looked there were locals, soaking up the sunshine, drying off after an early morning swim, socialising, and generally enjoying the warmth and bracing sea air.
The bus finally reached its destination, Bivio Miramare, and we got off. We could see the Villa Miramare in the distance and, in the blazing sun, started the walk that would take us up to the entrance of the Villa itself. The 1.5km walk in the heat was not particularly pleasant but we eventually made it to the courtyard at the front of the house and were rewarded with a glorious sight, the dazzling white castle with its turrets, brilliant in the sunshine, with blue skies behind, created an almost Disneyesque image. With the central fountain and the wisteria (sadly, not in bloom) hanging over the arched pergolas it was quite a picture.
Unfortunately, time did not allow us to explore the inside of the Villa, but we were still able to enjoy the sight of the castle’s exterior along with the surrounding parkland and gardens; from the gardens below with their sweeping stairways down to the breakwater and landing stage, to the less formal gardens and slightly dilapidated structures dotted about the parkland.
After an hour or so we slowly make our way back to the bus-stop for a return trip into the city and we soon back in the hustle and bustle of the city centre and ready to begin our ‘lightning’ tour of Trieste, with Piazza Oberdan as our starting point.
Our route took us via the Piazza San Giovanni, before we made for the bell-towers of the Church of Saint Anthony of Taumaturgo (or more commonly the Church of St Antonio Nuovo). Soon enough we were in the Piazza Sant’ Antonio Nuovo where we were able to see the church in all its glory; the imposing portico with its six supporting ionic columns, above at rooftop level, atop a balustrade, six statues depicting the patron saints of the city and the finishing touch crowned with a dome. The square was also home to the Serbian-orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon, another remarkable structure. The church matched The Church of St Anthony in size but there the similarity ended as the façade of St Spyridon was decorated with Byzantine mosaics and the twin towers were capped with blue-tinged domes as was the portico and rooftop.
Looking towards the Gulf of Trieste, we could see the Canal Grande stretching out before us flanked by the noble palaces and merchant’s houses so important to the wealth and commercial success of the city in earlier times.
Turning left at the Ponte Rosso we followed the via Roma to the Piazza della Borsa and from there along the Capo di Piazza G Bartoli and into the Piazza Unità d’Italia, the heart of the city. Again, there was so much to see and so much impressive architecture to marvel at. At the head of the square was the imposing City Hall or Palazzo del Municipio with its central clock tower decorated with two Moorish figures, standing ready to strike the bell on the hour. Directly in front of this grand building was the so-called fountain of the 4 continents (only Europe, Asia, Africa and America were recognised at the time of its unveiling in 18th century Europe) where the world and its peoples was represented by four allegorical figures around its base and at the top an angel. The elegant square also houses the Palazzo Pitteri, the most notable Baroque building in Trieste, the Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta, whose past guest list reads like Who’s Who, the stately Lloyd Triestino building, the Palazzo del Governo with its golden mosaicked façade, the Casa Stratti and the Palazzo Modello. With the Gulf of Trieste completing the square, it really was a picture, and one which captured grandiose façades and ornate Viennese-style architecture, and conjured up images of the city’s past, its importance as a port and commercial centre across the centuries.
Leaving the square behind, our walk took us down to the seafront where we took advantage of the breeze and strolled along the promenade in the direction of the pier and marina. There was not a great deal to see so it was decided to head back into the city and find somewhere for lunch. We finally settled for the restaurant-pizzeria Crystall on via San Sebastiano, not far from Piazza dell’Unita but sufficiently away from the usual touristy haunts and inflated prices nearby. Naturally it was time to stock up on yet more Italian pizza!
After lunch we set off to find the cathedral (dedicated to Saint Justus) which stands overlooking the city on a hill bearing the same name. This involved a bit of a climb, but as we were in no hurry we took in the sights as we went, stopping occasionally to ‘admire the view’. As we climbed through the narrow streets of the oldest part of the city we passed several interesting sites, the first being the Arch of Riccardo in the Piazza del Barbacan, built in 33Bc by the Roman Emperor Augustus as one of the entrances to the city, and the second being the Sanctuary of Santa Maria Maggiore which rises majestically alongside the small Romanesque church of San Silvestro. We then followed the via di Donota to a set of steps that would lead us through a small park to the Roman Theatre, a well-preserved amphitheatre. From there we walked to the Piazza della Borsa, turned right onto the via San Spiridione and, making the most of the shade offered by the tall buildings that lined both sides of the street, we made it to via Fabio Filzi.
With the Grand Canale and Piazza Sant’ Antonio Nuovo behind us we finally found ourselves in the Piazza Vittorio Veneta, another small square flanked by one the one side the Palazzo delle Poste (now home to the Postal and Telegraphical Museum) and on the other the Ministry of Economic Development building. Both buildings are great examples of eclectic style so typical of Austrian public buildings of the era (opened in 1894). At the centre of the square was the Fountain of the Tritons, consisting of three figures, two male and one female, holding up a shell. Five minutes later we were sat in the garden in the centre of Freedom Square, just across from the station, relieved to know there was no more walking and that we could slowly relax before taking the train back to Padua.
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I really hope you enjoyed my post about Trieste. It was not somewhere I had considered visiting before but our trip to the city was really interesting and there certainly is a lot for visitors to see and do! Until next time, love V x
