Italy 2000: Day 7: Monday, May 1: Trieste

Monday: May 1: Trieste

May 1 is a major holiday in Italy--the Festa del Lavoro--and most commercial
establishments are closed. Breakfast at the hotel is served in a very elegant
room on the Piazza, with a wide array of possibilities to eat. Unfortunately
the food didn't measure up to the setting.

After breakfast, we got into the car and headed up to the hill to visit the
Castello and the Duomo. We had parked the car on the street--the hotel
said they didn't have a garage, despite notices to the contrary. The area is
zoned for pay parking but since it was first Sunday and then a holiday, we got a
free ride for two days. We had relatively little trouble finding spaces close
to the hotel and were able to come and go without worrying about finding a place
to put the car.

Also on the hill in the center of town is the remains of a Roman temple (just
below in the middle of downtown there is quite a well preserved Roman theater);
Trieste was originally a major Roman settlement, Tergestum. We took a stroll
around the ramparts of the Castello, which had nice views of the city and the
bay. There was also an exhibit of armaments and military matters which we
skimmed quickly. The cathedral was a combination of two churches from different
eras; I must confess that we did not give it as much attention as it may have
deserved.

The weather turned overcast as we headed out of town for the nearby fishing
village of Muggia, across the bay from Trieste and located very close to the
Slovenian border. The town had been written up as a picturesque, historic
town--with good fish restaurants--and well worth a visit. The route to Muggia
takes you on an elevated highway through the industrial section of Trieste and
it continues on the other side of the harbor through less than beautiful
surroundings.

The town itself was crowded with holiday visitors and we circled around twice
before snagging a parking space. We headed for the "centro" of the small town
and found ourselves on a not unattractive piazza, lined with the town hall, the
Duomo and some sidewalk cafes. After getting our bearings, we walked to the
waterfront, which had lots of fishing boats and a view across the industrial
area to Trieste. We decided that we didn't understand the attraction of the
town, stopped for gelato, and headed back toward Trieste. The most interesting
thing about our visit was trying to decipher a newspaper clipping posted outside
a restaurant which had to do with an Italian who hung around the town during the
'60s and impersonated Hitler. I am sure we missed most of the details, but it
was quite odd. The other interesting thing about our visit was the small parade
of the Communist Party at noon; it was the only evidence of the workers
celebration of May Day that we saw.

Back in Trieste, we were on the look out for lunch and gas. We were getting a
litle low on fuel and had noticed a couple of gas stations open in the morning
with long lines. One had a sign saying they would be open in the afternoon so
we decided to have lunch before filling up. We picked one of the many
restaurants on the seafront boulevard--Trattoria d'Istria-- and sat down. Most
people were having grilled fish but we just wanted a light lunch, so Diiana
ordered a pasta dish and I continued my investigation into fritto misto. This
less than complete meal did not sit well with the waiter, who basically ignored
us for the rest of our meal....Diana's pasta--green linguine with a tomato-based
seafood sauce was quite good; my fritto misto was just okay. But we were glad
to get the check and escape from the waiter's disapproval.

After filling the car with gas, we set out for visit to the rural area on the
Carso plateau, above Trieste. We drove through small villages and vineyards--a
whole different world from the city below; we even drove up to the Slovenian
border but decided not to cross. I then headed for the huge, modern shrine set
on the edge of the plateau that is visible from everywhere in the Trieste area;
it was built thirty years ago and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. However, I made
one wrong turn and we found ourselves "hurtling" down to sea level, with little
opportunity to turn around.

Back in Trieste, I set out to scout out dinner possibilities. I had a nice
stroll through the old city of Trieste, although most of the shops were still
closed up tight. My first choice was closed, but we ended up in a welcoming,
brightly lit, attractive seafood restaurant called the Citta di Cherso. (We
later learned that Cherso is port city in Croatia.) This was a slightly more
upscale place then we usually choose...nice white tablecloths, a waiter in a
white jacket. The restaurant was almost completely full and quite lively. We
shared a seafood risotto that was prepared quite nicely--creamy and al
dente--but we thought we it needed a little more oomph. We also had some
excellent grilled fish--Diana had sea bass and I had angler fish. Diana also
enjoyed her dessert plate. After a carafe of the house white, we were very glad
it was only a block back to the hotel. A very nice place...we would return.

Jim and Diana