Castello di Miramare, near Trieste
At an ancient Roman amphitheater
Is that Neptune or Poseidon?
Delizioso deli foods
Having spent about two weeks in Austria, we figured it was time to move on to another country, so Italy was the choice. We had heard good things about Trieste from our neighbor and a few friends, so we figured we'd give it a try.
Sitting in the extreme east of Italy, Trieste has an interesting history, being an important part of the Hapsburg empire for hundreds of years, but becoming part of Italy after WWI. It is historically a crossroads of Italian, Germanic, and Slavic cultures (so says Wikipedia), but definitely felt more Italian than the other two to us.
Maybe we were spoiled after spending so long in Austria where things work and people are generally helpful and civic-minded, but Italy, it seemed to us, has a cultural mindset about 180 out from that.. And that helps explain why they're in such deep fiscal doo-doo.
But, despite that, there were some cool sights in Trieste. And Italian food is legit.
