We decided to do a day trip to Trieste, Italy, because well, why not! It was only 1.5 hrs from Rovinj, Croatia and Tiny Human slept the whole way.
I must say, driving in from the south Trieste didn’t appear all that attractive. It’s quite industrial even though it’s on the coast. The drive itself is easy enough and Husband could at least read the signs in this country (damn Europeans and their multiple languages!). Once you get into the city you immediately get an Italian feel. Traffic, scooters, people. It was fantastic.
I can’t say that the city was ‘pretty’ but it did have some great buildings. It wasn’t a typical Italian style city as you could still see the Austrian influence (Husband likes to remind me that this used to be a part of Austria for 600 years). It was a blend. People stood in coffee bars and drank coffee or sat in restaurants in the street and drank wine while filling up on pasta. We of course did the same. And added gelato to the mix.
I stupidly ordered a takeaway cappuchino… Should have just ordered an espresso like the locals because look how my ‘cappuchino’ turned out…
The highlight of the day was visiting Castle Miramar, built by the brother of the Austrian Emperor way back when, and used by a multitude of armies as a base since then. He had good taste though, building a swimming pool in a cove of the ocean and surrounding it all with 54 acres of gardens and parks.
Without spending too much time there, I’m not sure I can recommend Trieste as a ‘must see’ destination, however for us it was a great little getaway for the day.
