We travelled to Trieste on Good Friday and its now the end of week three and have left Florence for Sorrento. After four city sightseeing stays, Trieste was time for a bit of R&R and it certainly did that. I had booked a room in Villa Tergeste in Miramare about 8km from the city. It is a grand old villa which till was a hostel, the owners, Sandra and Giovanni, decided to move into a different market and it still needs more change but it is getting there. All of the rooms have stunning sea views and access to a private terrace. Running alongside the villa is a fish restaurant which sadly was only open at lunchtime.
Our first night meal was at a promenade cafe, pretty average, but amazing sunset views with the Miramare castle in the background. It was built for Maximilian I, a guy from history who has followed us around on the trip. He was awarded Mexico as a reward during one of the many conflicts. Sadly, he came to a sticky end and was assassinated!
regulars on the no 6 bus which went from Grignano, the other side of the castle to Trieste along the seafront. A day ticket was only 3€. On Saturday we thought we would have a short stroll then get the bus to the city. There was a ticket machine at our end then the next one was in a tabac, 3k away!! A bit longer than a stroll. A coffee stop looking out to bay helped, it was sunny but Trieste is renowned for its wind and we certainly experienced it during our stay. The water was full of jellyfish, thousands and thousands of them. They were pink with a circle of purple beads and looked like Victorian lamps.In the evening we got the bus part way for a drink and ended up eating in a little bar, the highlight was the swordfish carpaccio.
The staff in the villa were amazing , Nancy was a cheery face ever morning. Marco was always on hand to sort out our queries, he sorted us a table for Easter Sunday lunch and got our laundry organised. Sunday we had a stroll up through the castle grounds and down into Grignano, we tried
to get a coffee but everywhere was setting up for lunch. We got the bus back and walked out onto the front terrace for Sunday lunch. It was a set meal for 55€ and despite the cost it was well worth it, including drinks it was 60€ each. Starter was an antipasto of fried anchovies, carpaccio of salmon, garlic prawns and a white fish marinated in orange with courgette and tomato. Second course was pasta with tuna, raisins and pine nuts them main course was a large plate of fish to share, A whole bream, a langoustine a large prawn, some squid and some small crumbed fish together with some fried potatoes. Desert was homemade Tiramisu and I washed it all down with a litre and a quarter of lightly sparkling local wine, a bit like frascati. I needed a snooze before our evening trip out!
I had spotted a Monet exhibition in Trieste so headed off after breakfast on my own. It was themed around Impressionism in Normandie and there were only 4 of his paintings but some interesting other works. The Impressionists are my favourites by a long way. I had a wander through the streets
of Trieste, beautiful city with stunning architecture. You can see the influence here too. Chris had walked to the castle again and managed to pull his calf muscle.
On our last day we decided to get bus into Trieste and then a second one up to the castle. The buses were fine but we went the wrong way! Chriss leg was bad so headed back to rest and I wandered around town. Found a reasonably priced restaurant and booked a table. We had to eat early as the last bus was 20.49! Food was fabulous, I had one of my favourite dishes- aubergine parmigiana and then suckling pig and cabbage. Chris had veal cheeks. Yummy
Our next destination was Florence and it didnt disappoint. As visitors we were blown away by the beauty of the buildings, who wouldnt be. Sadly, due to its size and the volume of visitors it was a nightmare walking around.
