Trieste, Italy and Koper, Slovenia

June 21-22, 2024

After WWII, the northeastern corner of Italy – the little section that covers the north and northeastern portion of the Adriatic Sea became the Free Territory of Trieste. The region was claimed by both Italy and Yugoslavia, so in 1947, to avoid more fighting, the UN formally declared it a free state with two zones – one under influence of western powers of the US and Britain, the other under Yugoslavia. Eventually, the section to the north/northwest went to Italy, and the sliver of land along the Adriatic south of the city of Trieste went to Yugoslavia in 1954, later becoming a good portion of Slovenia in 1991.

Trieste is lovely (although a thick layer of brown algae moved into the city the day we arrived – a combination of the warmer waters and currents, which made the water and swimming unappealing). It feels more like an Austrian city with Italian food (mainly because a lot of its development occurred under its control by the Hapsburgs while part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Empress Marie Therese greatly influenced the development and construction of the buildings and streets.

Palazzo del Governo in the main square (the pinwheels are celebrating the summer winds called the Bora (which can reach well over 50mph))

Mask of protection – a holdover from days of Venetian control

The masons originally built this building converted to a church

Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon (unfortunately, we did not realize it was closed in the afternoon and did not get a chance to go inside). According to our guide – among other things, he is the patron saint of material goods, and if you go in prayer stating “I will have ____” you will receive it.

And John wanted cannolis – which we found in a little cafe not long after the walk

Since there was a castle, we hiked up the hill to check it out, along with the attached Cathedral.

Remnant of their grand canal covered in algae and plankton (it created a pattern that made me think of granite countertops)

The city of Koper, Slovenia is only an hour from Trieste – so the ship basically did donuts in the Adriatic offshore until it docked the following morning.

Koper is small and walkable, with city walls atop a small cliff. Luckily – they provided an elevator for those that did not want to climb the four flights of steps up to the city.As soon as you exit the elevator, you see the Praetorian Castle, one of the main structures of the city.