I wish I could say my husband and I went to Trieste to see its glittering jewel, the Piazza dell’Unita D’Italia, or to sample its unique Bavarian-Italian cuisine. Yes, the Piazza, Trieste’s main square, was lovely and the food alone worth the trip. But the truth is that our discovery of this oft-overlooked port city was a happy accident.
We planned to visit Slovenia, and Sky Europe’s discounted fare to Trieste would get us close enough to cross the border to our eventual destination. Trieste began as a layover, but after asking around, we decided to extend our stay.
A small city on Italy’s northeastern tip, part of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Trieste is a one-to-two-hour drive from Venice. It may not romance visitors like Venice does with its impressive architecture and impossibly quaint canals. But what it lacks in Venetian grandeur, it makes up for in quiet charm and a distinct culture of its own. What’s not to love about a city that doesn’t know it’s charming?
While Trieste is not set up for flocks of tourists – train and bus schedules posed problems, for example – it’s refreshingly authentic. There are no tourist traps, just memorable sites such as the Miramare Castle and a series of nearby caves, most notably the Grotto Gigante, nine miles north, the largest open-to-the-public, underground cavern in the world.
Photo by Christine Sisson
We never found ourselves jammed in line with other Americans. Instead, we sipped espresso in the company of elderly, well-dressed Italian men at an al fresco Piazza café overlooking the Adriatic Sea. We wandered around the Roman amphitheater and shopped an outdoor market along the Canal Grande. We paid homage to James Joyce, who lived and wrote in Trieste, at his statue on Ponte Rosso.
That Trieste was part of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918 is evident today. Its multicultural flavor gives the humble surroundings a sophisticated air. And then there’s the food; the city’s Austro-Hungarian influence is perhaps best represented at Buffet Birreria Rudy, where you can saunter up to the nondescript bar and order cheap and fast pasta and arancini. I paired my Italian fare with German beer and sausage—an inspired (and delicious) combination that perfectly captured the flavor of Trieste.
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