Tom`s travels: Trieste to Duino hike (02/09/2023)

On a nice early September weekend, my brother and I decided to head over to Venezia Giulia and walk along the coast. We would combine part of the Alpe Adria trail with part of the Via Flavia. After driving from Jesolo to San Donà di Piave, we parked the car and then took the train that brought us to the eastern city of Trieste. Known for its peculiar 18th and 19th-century architecture this port city has a mix of Italian, Slavic, and Germanic cultures, but is still heavily influenced by the strong Republic of Venice nearby. Once there, we first had a nice walk around its city center, passing through the Piazza Unità d'Italia, the beautiful central square facing the sea. Here are some of the most imposing buildings of the city, including the city hall built in the 1870s. We then passed by the ancient Roman theater dating to the second century AD and then visited the Saint Spyridon Church. This church was built in the late 19th century over a pre-existing church from 1753 and still serves, as it once did, the Serbian Orthodox community. Nearby, we walked across the Canal Grande and then reached the Piazza Oberdan from where we took a local bus that brought us uphill to the start of our trail. We got off at the Opicina Obelisk, built in 1834 to commemorate the Emperor of Austria Francis I, and located at 369m above sea level. The view from there was amazing, with the city below, the Gulf of Trieste, and the endless sea. From here we started our walk by taking the Strada Vicentina, also known as Strada Napoleonica, a 3.7km long road built in 1821. As we walked along its length we admired the beautiful scenery, stone pines filling the hillside around us, and to our left the glistening waters of the gulf and the bustling city as well. Towards the end of this historical path, down to our left, we could spot the magnificent Miramare Castle, glistening in its white candor right on the sea. Continuing onwards we then reached the town of Centovello, inhabited mainly by an ethnic Slovenian community, like other towns in the area. We walked around its pretty old town, with the main church of San Girolamo and with views of the coast and sea. A short walk then led us to the nearby town of Prosecco, famous for having given the name to the white sparkling wine. Here we had a quick look inside the church of San Martino Vescovo, built during the 17th century but refurbished during the 19th century. We were now in the Carso Plateau, a rocky and wooden landscape with many caves and holes split between Italy and Slovenia. From Prosecco, we continued northwest, following a scenic path among vineyards and with the sea always in sight to our left. The vineyard then gave way to the typical Mediterranean brush with stone pines. As we walked on we reached a nice panoramic point, at about 150m above sea level, with the whole coast on both sides and the gulf in front of us. After walking along the panoramic way for a while we then decided to head down, reaching a nice beach after some steps through the cliffside. It was a nudist beach, but the only free one in the area, right next to the one in Sistiana with all the sunbeds and umbrellas. There were only a few people so we put on our swimsuits and had a nice refreshing swim in the seawater. After the relaxing swim and drying out in the sun, we then left the beach and walked through Sistiana, this little bay consists of a marina with yachts, some fishing boats, and all around luxurious apartments and hotel rooms built around 214 on a previous limestone quarry. The architecture was reminiscent of a Mediterranean sea town, but as it is modern, it looked quite fake and empty. We walked through it and then took the elevator that brought us up the cliff. Once there we walked along the roadside until we reached the nearby camping. Here on the edge of a cliff, we followed the Sentiero Rilke, a scenic walk named after the poet Rainer Maria Rilke who once spent his time in the area, that leads through the Duino Cliffs Nature Reserve. Compared to nearly the whole hike of the day up to that point, where we hadn't seen one single person, this section had quite a few people, like the Strada Vicentina in Trieste. This was because of its short length, beautiful views over the Gulf of Trieste and the cliffs, and the proximity to the Duino castle, which we reached shortly after. The castle was built during the 14th century on the cliffside overlooking the sea, close to an older 11th-century castle also built on the cliffside slightly to the west. In the 19th century, it passed into the hands of the House of Thurn and Taxis, which still hold it to this day and have opened it for the public after paying an entry ticket. Part of the complex also hosts the international school, United World College of the Adriatic, hence why walking around town we could see and hear many young students speaking other languages than Italian. We had originally planned to visit the castle but as it was already late afternoon we decided instead to take the local bus that took us to the nearby town of Monfalcone. Here, before catching the train back to San Donà di Piave, we had a quick stroll through town. We walked through the central square, Piazza della Repubblica, and then along the main street, passing by the Duomo, once dating to the 14th century but destroyed during WWI and rebuilt after. Eventually, we got to the station and got the next ride back home.