Travel Guide > Travelling

Trieste, Italy: Having a short break – Part 2

Basic Information

When to go? Well, year round is OK but spring and autumn are best for pleasantly warm but not baking-hot weather. The city is almost tourist free in winter and can be nice, except when the bora, a powerful wind blows. How to get there; Ryanair flies six times a week from London Stansted to Trieste from £25 return; with a flight time of 2 hours and 10 minutes. If you fly into Venice or Treviso, a transfer using a bus and/or train will take around two hours. Getting around: The city is quite compact and the central district is pedestrian friendly. There is also good public transport. Where to stay: For a sea-view and some rather affordable luxury, check with the Savoia Excelsior Palace. It opened in 1912 and it remains a Neo-classical grand-dame of the Austro Hungarian imperial era, and I am sure you will have an enjoyable stay. Doubles start around a very reasonable £100 per night which includes breakfast.

Where to eat and drink: Enjoy some gourmet pizzas and local wines at Celestino on Via Armando Diaz. Bu? et da Pepi on Via Cassa di Risparmio specialises in Triestine fare, such as pork sandwiches and meaty broths. While another good option for food locally sourced from the Karst is the rather fine Scabar on Erta di Sant’Anna.

The official tourism website of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region has lots of useful information on Trieste and the surrounding Karst region, plus extensive hotel and B& B listings. The Trieste-Villa Opicina tram also has its own English language webpage and the main transport site is likewise very easy to use.

Day One: FROM HOTEL TO PORT TO PIAZZA

Take bus No. 6 from Piazza Oberdan to Castello di Miramare where Archduke Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, lived before sailing to the New World to become emperor and empress of Mexico. Now it’s a museum, bursting with tapestries, maps and antiques. On the bus back, look out for the abandoned Old Port, where the plunder of the Austro-Hungarian empire once arrived. Follow the seafront, making a brief detour to the Canal Grande, built in 1756 and formerly the city’s commercial hub.

South of the canal, head to Piazza Unità. Standing with your back to the sea, the 1904 Palazzo del Governo is on your left, the eclectic 1876 edifce of the Palazzo del Municipio directly in front, and the grandiose HQ of the Lloyd Triestino shipping frm, built in 1882, on your right-hand side. Further along the seafront, stop at Lloyd built Museo Civico Revoltella, Trieste’s main art gallery. It has works dating from the 1800s, including Giorgio De Chirico and Lucio Fontana. Finish the day at the nearby Museo del Mare for some impressive model ships and posters from the steam age.

Continued in Part 3

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Page added on: 15 September 2018
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