First and only stop in Italy during this journey to discover the Balkans.

Piero: in our journey to the Balkans we pass through Trieste. We will stay only a few hours, though (even if it probably deserves more than that).

Angela: when you enter the city, you do not feel the typical welcome of other Italian cities, Trieste seems quite different. However, like all border towns, it has so much to discover and an important story to tell.

Piero: due to its geographical position and its troubled history, Trieste is a fascinating city that over time has attracted artists and writers, such as Stendhal and Joyce.

Angela: we park easily in the town center and we then move towards the Molo Audace; by the way, do you know why it's called that?

Piero: in honour of the destroyer Audace, the first ship of the Italian Navy to arrive in Trieste, after the end of the First World War.

Angela: to welcome us in our walk along the pier there are the sea and the bora (a wind in areas near the Adriatic Sea)!

Piero: once we reach the end of the pier, we turn our sight towards the city and appreciate the first great wonder: Piazza Unità d'Italia (the square which celebrates the unified Italy)!

Angela: a wonderful square, probably one of the largest directly overlooking the sea: undoubtedly beautiful!

Piero: this square has been renamed several times. It was Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square) first, then Piazza Grande and finally the current name.

Angela: being in the center of this square has a unique charm; on three sides we have wonderful buildings that refer to the Austro-Hungarian style: first the Palace of the Austrian Lieutenancy seat of the Prefecture, then Palazzo Stratti, again Palazzo Modello (seat of the Town Hall), Palazzo Pitteri (the oldest in the square), next to an hotel in Palazzo Vanoli, ending with the Palazzo della Regione.

Piero: the fourth side is as beautiful as the other sides. It is where the sea is.

Angela: you cannot miss a stop at the famous Caffè degli Specchi, before walking towards the old city.

Piero: we pass through Piazza della Borsa and from via Roma we reach the canal: we are in the Borgo Teresiano and it is worth stopping on the Ponte Rosso (Red Bridge) to admire the view.

Angela: we walk along the canal until we reach the beautiful church of Saint Anthony.

Piero: next to the church there are also the Serbian-Orthodox temple of the Holy Trinity and of St. Spiridione.

Angela: walking back towards Ponte Rosso, we didn’t notice the bronze statue of James Joyce before: it is part of a group of three statues dedicated to writers; the other two depict Umberto Saba and Italo Svevo. One last photo to the canal with the church of St. Anthony in the background and we go back to our van.

Piero: we could only visit a few places, considering the little time available. However, this was enough to convince us that we should return to Trieste some other time.

Angela: let's get ready to leave Italy immediately after lunch.

Piero: you can find HERE all the images of this wonderful city.

Angela: also, watch this beautiful video!