DRIFTING IN TRIESTE

A special little piece of Italy

When asked “Where can you buy good men’s clothes here?”, the lady at the hotel reception replies. I’m sorry, but we don’t have Gucci or Dolce&Gabbana here in Trieste”

Good as it is

Nobody misses these global brands in Trieste. Classic menswear stores are much better suited to this city, which is pleasantly unagitated, correct, friendly, modest and rather dignified.

The things where the city of Trieste shines are its location by the sea, its beautiful buildings (all beautifully restored), the cafés, the restaurants and its people.

A piece of k.u.k. Danube Monarchy

From 1382 to 1918, Trieste was part of the Habsburg-Austrian Empire. The k.u.k. Monarchy had access to the sea through Trieste. To this day, the deep-sea port is of strategic importance due to its location. It is one of the most important ports for oil tankers in Europe. China has also included Trieste in its strategy for the new Silk Road and has already invested in the port.

The legacy of the Habsburgs can still be found on menus today, including goulash, Sacher torte and a penchant for coffee. Hungarian-born Francesco Illy founded the Illy Café company in Trieste in 1933, which still has its headquarters there today and supports a chair in coffee processing at the University of Trieste.

Coffee house culture

Many coffee houses are reminiscent of Vienna, where peace and quiet reign and coffee can be enjoyed with a good read.

One exception is the Café degli Spezi, in Piazza Unità d’Italia. This grandiose square opens out onto the sea and impresses with its dimensions and the magnificent buildings surrounding it.

When a cruise ship lands at the port of Trieste, this café, which is only about 10 minutes away from where the cruise giants land, becomes temporarily cramped. Then every seat in the outside area of the café is taken, three employees are assigned solely to queue management and the cash registers inside, which take cash and credit cards, run hot.

Then you should avoid the café.

Cioccolatoso without crusader

If there is no cruise ship at the quay, chocolate lovers can enjoy a cioccolatoso, an excellent combination of vanilla ice cream and deep black chocolate ice cream, topped with a small pot of excellent hot chocolate.

Coffee and literature

As soon as you move from the harbor further up into the city, it becomes quieter but by no means less sophisticated in culinary terms. At Antico Caffè San Marco, the bookshop is conveniently part of the café. They are proud of the vermouth they have developed, which includes coffee as an ingredient. Extremely tasty as a cocktail in combination with Campari and cream.

Trieste is proud of its literary figures. Many have felt at home in the city and, like Rilke, immortalized it in the Duino Elegies or James Joyce in Ulysses. Due to its location and varied history, Trieste is open-minded and liberal.

According to a survey a few years ago, even a large proportion of Italians were not entirely sure whether Trieste was part of Italy. The upper part of the city borders on Slovenia, and Croatia is not far away. In its eventful history, it has belonged to Austria, Italy, the former Yugoslavia and Italy again.

Let yourself drift in Trieste

The relatively small town of just over 200,000 inhabitants is ideal for a very long weekend with culture, coffee and good food. In the inexpensive buffet trattoria Da Giovanni you will be spoiled with delicious food as well as in the excellent restaurants, where fish usually plays the main role on the menu.

A small ferry crosses the Gulf of Trieste to the small harbor town of Muggia for little money. The many private boats are a feast for the eyes. For those who like to watch the sailing boats close to the harbor exit, we recommend the Marina San Giusto.

There you can sit in a central location and watch the happy faces of the helmsmen and helmswomen as they sail out onto the Gulf of Trieste over a Campari Spritz.

SCOTLAND – BEST IN THE OFF-SEASON

In Trieste’s opera house, the Teatro Verdi, which boasts an outstanding symphony orchestra, choir and ballet company, knowledgeable audiences enjoy excellent concerts.

If you are staying in an apartment instead of a hotel and would like to cook for yourself, you can do all your shopping at the EATALY empire, the successful model from Turin, which was founded in 2012 and unites the best food in Italy under one roof and is now also represented in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, Paris, Stockholm and many other cities.

The EATALY branch in Trieste is located in an old warehouse at the harbor. Around 10 types of flour for baking bread, wines from every Italian province, anchovies from Italy’s coasts, vegetables that are in season and everything else a gourmet chef’s heart desires can be found on three floors.

For preparation

Anticipation is the greatest joy. If you want to prepare yourself for the radiant Trieste by reading on rainy days, we recommend: “Trieste. A Literary Capital in Central Europe” by Claudio Magris and Angelo Ara and the book “Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere” by Jan Morris.

We are currently reading this partly autobiographical novel as a follow-up and are already looking forward to our next visit to Trieste, a city that GloriousMe really likes.