Trieste, Italy

"La vita non è né brutta né bella, ma è originale!"   (Life is neither ugly nor beautiful, but it's original!)
Italo Svevo, "La coscienza di Zeno"

Trieste was the first town I visited in Italy.

Though it was a charming town to walk in, I took the train to Venice on my first day here. When I came back in the night with my friends, I was amazed how beautiful the town lit up as I had my first scoop of delicious chocolate gelato.
    On my fourth day here, I volunteered for a church cleanup at "Tempio Nazionale a Maria Madre E Regina" in Monte Grisa. Italy's country side is stunning. I need to move to Italy one day to fully grasp the history, the people and the language. There is only so much reading you can do before you get a full connection of the country. I noticed some of the older Italians spoke a different dialect. Being the curious person that I am, I google it to find out that in Trieste they also speak Triestine, a dialect of Venetian. In addition, there is a small Slovenian population here, with the border being so close to Trieste. Slovenia is another country I have in my bucket list to visit, sooner then later, I hope.
   When I was on top of the hills at Monte Grisa, I saw the "Castello di Miramare".  For a moment there, I felt like I was in a story book. Proud that I had taken the off beaten path for a day, I promised myself to do this more often in the future. Having a good blend of tourist attractions and off beaten paths to smaller towns. After cleaning, the priests invited us to an Italian lunch they had prepared for us to show us their appreciation.  Nothing beats a hands down home made Italian meal.

Piazza Unità d'Italia

     

Piazza Unità d'Italia at night