Trieste

Tucked into the far eastern corner of Italy, the seaside town of Trieste is very close to the Slovenian border and a choice beach destination for Italians and Slovens alike.

Work brought me to Trieste for nearly two weeks. During that time, I had the opportunity to enjoy an aperitivo in nearly every cafe in the magnificent Piazza d'Unita Italia (pictured above and below). This piazza is also noted for it's location, heading straight out into Gulf of Trieste. The local favorite is an orange drink called the spritz aperol, made with Campari's aperol aperitif, prosecco, and soda water. Garnished with an orange slice, it is perfectly refreshing on a hot June day.

One early dinner (the only leisurely one!) had us at a gorgeous restaurant's seaside patio, dining on some of the freshest seafood I've ever had. While I ordered the sea bass baked in salt (yum), one of my companions ordered this spiedini of seafood - a more interesting dish for certain.

I was also fortunate to spend some time at the Castello Miramare, the 19th century castle designed and inhabited by Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium.

The castle is perched cliffside to the Gulf of Trieste and a bit up the road from town. The clear day provided spectacular views of the sea with views straight to Istria (an noted Croatian beach area).
The design of the castello, like many other buildings in Trieste, is heavily influnced by Austrian architecture. Sensible, considering that Trieste only became part of Italy during a post-WWI annexation. Prior to that, it was an important port city to the Austro-Hungarian empire. The 22 hectares of seaside and landscape park make this multipurpose castle and attractive draw today.

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?