Trieste

I continue to count my lucky stars. Not only do I get to live here in Italy but I get to work here too! While that part definitely has it's pitfalls, any work-associated travel is definitely a plus. While I've been to Friuli-Venezia Giulia before (for our January ski trip), this was my first trip to the region's capitol.

Trieste was a part of the Austrian (and Austrian-Hungarian empire) from 1382 until 1918. It joined Austria in 1382 for protection from the Venetian empire. Trieste was annexed back into Italy following the end of World War II, simultaneously losing status as a major port power. The Austrian influence is most evident in the architecture of the Piazza Unita d'Italia, a spacious piazza that faces the seafront.

The road to the highway winds along the shore and there are quite a few sight-seeing points just a few kilometers up the coast. On the way back to Milan, our group stopped at an Autogrill for lunch. Autogrills are the Italian version of highway fast food - located mainly off of highways (and sometimes, literally, on top of them). I have to ask you, do the pictures below look like any kind of fast food you've ever seen in the States?