ORC Sportboat European Championship 2022 > Visit Sistiana and Trieste

VISIT SISTIANA AND TRIESTE

Rilke Trail

The trail, named after the Bohemian poet Rainer Maria Rilke and inaugurated in 1987, is 1700 meters long and gives access to the Natural Reserve at Sistiana or Duino; the trail is almost flat, which means it can be done easily.

From here you can see the whole Trieste Gulf, and you can admire the “Falesie di Duino” (Duino Natural Reserve); its carbonate rocks, which are the same as those of the whole Karst upland, were created from shells that deposited on the bed of a shallow sea.

For more information about the Rilke Trail, visit the website of Turismo FVG .

TFF015433 — Foto di Alessandro Michelazzi

Portopiccolo

Portopiccolo is an elegant seaside village, which is just a few minutes walk from the Bay of Sistiana. It is a small luxury oasis on Gulf of Trieste and is the ideal place to spend a relaxing holiday or indulge in a well-deserved rest.

Walk through the village alleys and enjoy an aperitif at sunset with a gorgeous sea-view. In the village you will find cafés, restaurants and boutiques, along with an exclusive beach, a spa and a modern and equipped marina.

Portopiccolo also offers various lodging options. In addition to Hotel Falisia, a luxury five-star hotel located in the village centre, Portopiccolo rents out lovely apartments overlooking the sea.

For more information, visit the official website of Portopiccolo.

Duino Castle

Duino Castle, owned by the Princes of Torre and Tasso, was built in 1300 upon the ruins of an ancient Roman outpost. The massive complex with its composite architectural style overlooks the Gulf of Trieste.

Inside, it houses important works of art and refined historical relics. Over the centuries, it has offered hospitality to many illustrious people, including the poet R.M. Rilke, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as Sissi), the Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and his wife Charlotte of Belgium.

On the tour of the castle and its gardens, guests can admire the forte-piano played by Franz Liszt, the Palladio staircase, the view of the Gulf of Trieste from the top of the tower, the rampart walls overlooking the sea and the bunker built in 1943 by the German Kriegsmarine.

For more information, visit the official website of the Duino Castle.

Miramare Castle

The Miramare Castle, which is about 15 minutes by car from the Bay of Sistiana, was built between 1856 and 1860 to serve as a residence for the Archduke Maximilian of Austria. The archduke personally oversaw both the planning of the building and the layout of the large park (over 22 hectares), an English-style and Italian-style garden, rich in rare plants, sculptures and ponds, which goes down towards the sea with wide steps.

The castle is made up of over 20 rooms: particularly valuable are Maximilian’s Rooms, among which the bedroom, furnished as a ship’s cabin, and the “Throne Room”. You can visit the castle by following an established path that winds from the ground floor to the first floor. Visitors will be able to admire sumptuous furnishings located in the state rooms and private apartments, adorned with works of art, furniture and precious objects.

For more information, visit the official website of the Miramare Castle.

Trieste

Trieste is not only the capital of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It represents a melting pot of stories, cultures and traditions, which make Trieste the most cosmopolitan city in Italy. Languages, people and religions from the Mediterranean, Slavic and Central European areas intertwine in Trieste. For this reason, its architecture and cousine represent a perfect synthesis of the city’s history.

Piazza Unità (lit. Unity of Italy Square) is the jewel in the crown of the city, since it has been crowned as one of the most beautiful European squares overlooking the sea. The square, which stretches for over 200 meters along Molo Audace (Audace Pier), offers a wonderful view over the Gulf of Trieste and the city itself.

Trieste is also known as the city of literary cafés, historical coffee bars with a retro charm that were once attended by iconic authors such as James Joyce, Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba. Literary cafés represent the ideal resting place to unwind with a coffee and dive into the culture of Trieste.

For more information, visit the website of Turismo FVG.