Italy has been one of those places that has long been on my list of countries I've wanted to dive into. I mean, it's Italy. Who doesn't want to go to Italy?
Many years ago when I was researching a potential trip to Europe for eight days that ultimately took me to Vienna, Austria, despite many recommendations, I crossed Italy of my list of potential places to go because I thought eight days would not be enough for what I wanted to see and do. It was then that I decided I'd visit Italy in pieces. It just felt like a country that deserved multiple visits.
It took me another seven years to finally get to Italy for the first time when I traveled to Sicily for a yoga retreat in the fall of 2019. I followed that week of yoga with a few days in Florence and Tuscany to check off those boxes and get a little taste of two parts of Italy in one trip. In the end, it was an amazing introduction to that country that had long been on my list, though I had so much more ground to cover. However, as the next few years went by (and of course, a global pandemic) seeing more of Italy seemed to continue to be bumped further down my list as other places in the world intrigued me or called my name. Even though I did return to Sicily for a second time in the fall of 2021 for that same yoga retreat, I still had so much more I wanted to see. As I planned my third visit to this illustrious country, my next visit would not take me to Rome, Venice, or any of the other big cities where all of the tourists flock.
Insert a brief three night stop in the coastal town or Trieste; nestled along the coast near the Adriatic Sea just below Slovenia, within driving distance of Croatia, and part of a region that has long changed hands way back when. I'll admit Trieste was not high on my list and quite honestly I had not even heard of the city until I visited Rovinj two years before. But, after spending time exploring Slovenia, it felt like a good stopping point for a few nights as I made my way back to Rovinj once again. And well, when I found a "Prosecco Origins Wine Experience" offered just outside of Trieste, it didn't take much to twist my arm. More on that in a bit.
I arrived in Trieste in the evening after several incredible days touring around Slovenia. While I was looking forward to seeing this tiny slice of Italy and what I had planned for my visit, following my amazing time in Slovenia was going to be tough to beat. But, I had had some long days playing tourist and the weather forecast for my entire time in Trieste looked bleak with major storms headed our way so a bit of a slower pace to get a feel for the city was not necessarily a bad thing.
September 14, 2022 After a long day trip exploring more of Slovenia as we made our way to the coast, I settled into my hotel and "I'd lost count" Hilton property of the year, the Double Tree Trieste. Situated in a grandiose, quite remarkable building, I dropped my things off in my room; including my poor 21-inch roller bag that lost a wheel immediately after it hit the ground in Trieste (that bag had some serious miles around the world on it, so I was a tiny bit devastated). With an incredible thunder storm brewing outside, I found the hotel bar to grab a few glasses of wine and a snack and planned to relax the rest of the evening. As I enjoyed my wine and snacks in this historic but charming hotel bar that looked a bit like a library, I overheard an older couple chatting a few tables over. After a few minutes it became clear that they were from Northern Virginia as well and we quickly engaged in a conversation. They were awaiting a cruise that was departing the next day, and traveling to visit places in Croatia and the surrounding countries they've visited years before to celebrate their anniversary. As we swapped travel stories, it struck me that no matter where in the world I travel, I always seem to run into someone from the "DMV." (That's District of Columbia or DC, Maryland or Virginia for those that aren't local). Seriously, I could probably write a blog about the people I've run into around the world from my area! But, I digress. Back to Trieste!
September 15, 2022
Waking up to another terrific thunderstorm the next morning, I took the opportunity to sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast to hopefully wait out the rain and try to salvage my day exploring the city. I had no specific plans other than seeing where my feet could take me. Fortunately, crossing my fingers that the rain would stop worked and I set out to wander around the city a bit to visit a few of the sites that were recommended by the concierge in the hotel. After visiting a few shops, I settled in at a recommended restaurant, Fratelli la Bufala, for a late lunch of a few glasses of wine and pizza (I mean, when in Italy, right?) to enjoy the suddenly sunny weather and take in a little people watching while I read my book. Have I mentioned this is probably one of my favorite things to do in a large foreign (or really, unknown to me) city? Finding a beautiful place to just sit back, relax, read a book and maybe enjoy some local food and wine, of course. And people watch, of course.
I made my way to the water's edge, took the necessary photos and then circled back to climb what felt like a tremendously long and steep hill to get to the Castello di San Giusto, a 15th-century castle and fort overlooking the city. The rain was still holding off so I entered the castle and did the "tourist thing" reading about a little bit of Trieste's history. After taking part in my history lesson for the day and admiring the view of the city from all sides of the fort, I made my way back down to the city a different way through the Parco della Rimembranza which provided a peaceful stroll.
It was full-fledged "rush hour" as I left the quietness of the park and reentered this small but bustling city. Still full from the pizza I'd had a few hours earlier, I set off to find a late afternoon/early evening indulgence, some gelato, of course! Like I said, when in Italy, right? With the threat of storms nearing once again, I made my way back to the hotel and settled in at the hotel bar for a few glasses of wine and a plan to figure out my next and final day.
September 16, 2022 Since my Origins of Prosecco Wine Experience was not until the evening, I had another full day ahead of me to explore Trieste and the area. Hoping the weather would stay on my side, I awoke to sunny skies and radar on my weather app that seemed to predict all of the fierce thunder storms in the area to skirt around Trieste for most, if not all of the day. Hoping the weather predictions rang true and feeling I had seen everything I wanted to see in Trieste, I ordered a taxi and made my way out to Castello di Miramare, one of the places on my list to visit, if I had time for it.
The taxi dropped me off as close to the entrance as he could go; which was still a bit of a walk from the entrance and I set out on foot along the beautiful coastline. To say I lucked out with the weather, is a true understatement as it was an absolutely gorgeous day in the end. The castle, as far as castles go, is not quite large but situated along the coast with these amazing views of the sea (the Gulf of Trieste to be exact, with the Adriatic Sea beyond) all around. After touring the inside of the castle, I spent time wandering the beautiful and expansive gardens. There's just something about lush, beautiful gardens that I find so peaceful even if I have nothing close to a green thumb myself! I grabbed a light lunch at the cafe and eventually, possibly a bit regrettably, made my way back to the entrance to call a taxi and make my way back to the city to get ready for my Prosecco evening.
First, as I tell my story of the Prosecco outing, the evening itself was lovely in all respects. The trip to and from to get there, however, was a bit of an adventure in itself! Having mastered the taxi network in Trieste; I ordered my taxi and had the print out of where I needed to be dropped off; this small park in the small town of Contovello, which appropriately neighbors a town called, you guessed it, Prosecco. My taxi driver, who seemed nice but spoke no English (and I no Italian), plugged in the address and we were on our way. I mean, who can get lost if you follow GoogleMaps, right? After circling the small town three times and missing the turn off at least that many times, despite our language barrier and ultimately my backseat navigating with my phone we finally managed to find this tiny park with a pond. Fortunately, one couple, from the UK was already there awaiting the same experience. At least I was in the right place! A few others joined us later before our host for the evening, Katrin, the owner and wine maker of Klin Vina greeted us.
We began our evening with a short walking tour of the charming town of Contovello while Katrin shared the history of the region as we made our way to her home and small vineyard for our evening of tasting many varieties of Prosecco and a few regional wines. We were seated at a picnic table overlooking the sea just in time for the sunset. With the small yard of vines surrounding us, it was a perfect setting and quite charming. I use that word a lot to describe places, don't I? At least I'm consistent.
Katrin led us through tasting three or four Prosecco's each one different from the one before all while enjoying a lovely, charcuterie platter of locally sourced meats and cheeses. After we finished our outside tasting, she took us into her cellar where she showed us how her wine was made, including a pushdown of grapes fermenting in barrels. We tasted a Teran (red wine) that she had released as well before we ended our evening. It was a lovely evening spent we engaging tourists (who, other than the couple from the UK, were from other parts of the U.S., though not Northern VA; that would have been too ironic!)
Thinking I'd just request another taxi for my return, a couple that was also there for the tasting (there were seven of us total) and also staying in Trieste, convinced me to just take the bus back to the city with them as that was how they'd traveled from Trieste earlier in the day. Thinking, why not, I joined them as we walked to the bus stop. While we were waiting, a few locals walked by saying there were no more buses for the evening. It wasn't exceptionally late maybe 830pm-9pm or so and a Friday evening so this seemed odd. We quickly learned as more people walked past that the bus drivers had gone on strike a few hours before. I quickly pulled out my phone to call a taxi, after watching some of our fellow wine tasters hop in one down the street that Katrin had called for them, and to no avail could not get the request to go through.
We decided to walk into town to see if we could have a local restaurant call one for us, and after stopping at a few places that were too busy to help, we finally found a place that was willing to help. The whole time I was refreshing my request on my phone with no success. Unfortunately, the staff at the restaurant/pizza place we stopped was having the same problem and also could not get through via the phone line. They feared that due to the bus strike taxi drivers were extra busy and most wouldn't want to drive out to this small town from Trieste to pick us up. And of course, the thunder storms that had skirted around Trieste all day finally decided to hang out right over us.
By this point about 45 minutes had gone by, I phoned Katrin to see if she could help and she also had no luck. It was beginning to look like we might be stuck in the town for the night! Ok, maybe a bit dramatic looking back, but it was a bit frustrating. Finally nearly 90 minutes after we left the wine tasting I managed to get a request for a taxi to come through and we waited the agonizing 15-20 minutes for him to arrive. In the end, it all worked out fine; but nothing like a little random bus drivers strike to throw a wrench in your travel plans! I made it back to my hotel much later that evening than I anticipated, grabbed one final glass of wine at my now familiar hotel bar, ending my stay in Trieste on a high note.
My third visit to Italy is now in the books and I left wondering when I might return to see this country I aspired to "see in pieces" for my fourth visit. And well, as of a few months ago, that fourth visit is planned, a Food & Wine tour to Campania, Puglia, and ending in the Amalfi Coast for the fall of 2024. Want to join me? Find all the details here.
"In Italy they add work and life onto food and wine." -Robin Leach