My plans for the latter half of my month in Italy started out pretty vague, and have largely remained so. I booked five in nights Cividale, but the specifics of my time here and in the following days before my flight back to Paris on the 17th were only penciled in, at best. A high priority was a day visit to Trieste and the stars aligned to visit Trieste today for a guided tour by Bob, one of the Dutch cyclists I’d met in Brunico.
Bob met me at 10 am at the Trieste train station and the next four hours were a whirlwind tour of a city he clearly loves. After retiring from his Dutch banking job this past December, Bob moved to Trieste in January and is clearly still in the honeymoon phase – charmed by a city with a long and rich cultural history. He was a font of information - from the history of the Hapsburg rule to stories of James Joyce dalliances to the Bora wind that swoops down the steep streets of the old city at speeds up 140 km/h. The pace of the tour Bora-like - there was barely time for pictures, even less so to compose a shot, and certainly no time to take notes.
Adding to Bob’s excitement was the excitement of the city itself, host this year to the 50th Social Week of Catholics (Settimane Sociali), a week of lectures and meetings whose goal is “..to make Catholics aware of the true Christian social message.” The theme of this year’s meeting was “At the heart of democracy” and Pope Francis was a featured participant. The major piazzas of central Trieste were filled with viewing stands as well as small tents by organizations dedicated to the goals of the Social Week. It was all festive and chaotic, and left me a bit unanchored as to where I was at any given point in time. I share some photos to remember the day.
A large coin statue honors Maria Theresa of Austria, the Hapsburg ruler of Trieste who was a major force in creating the Grand Canal and the development of the Borgo Teresiano
Inside Saint Spyridon Church, a Serbian Orthodox Church with a traditional Byzantine Greek-cross floor plan. The priest visits with parishioners after a baptismal service while Bob listens in
The tour continued at the port before moving on to the Città Vecchia, the old city, where James Joyce once lived and Bob now lives. After a brief visit to Bob’s apartment to appreciate the views, we climbed up San Giusto hill, the highest point in Trieste. My tour complete, we finally stopped for a quick bite to eat and then I was on the train heading back to Cividale, exhausted but very happy and eager to learn more of a beautiful and charming city. Much thanks to Bob for a great day.
Trieste was awarded to Italy as a condition of Italy joining Allied forces during WWI. According to Bob, this bronze statue of soldier with a flag depicts Italy planting the flag in Trieste and claiming the city as her own
Scott AndersonI read this - or at least parts of it - years ago. Morris’s writings are a lot of the reason we included Trieste on our journey from Dubrovnik to Barcelona. It’s too bad the Piazza was clogged up with viewing stands for your visit. We were there in late September and it struck me as one of the most impressive public spaces in all of Europe. We really do need to go back. https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/dubrovnik2018/in-trieste/ Reply to this comment 4 months ago
