Trieste

The famous canal in Trieste

Trieste: the beautiful countryside

Trieste is situated in North-East Italy

We travelled by train from Vienna to Trieste, stopping for almost an hour in Udine. Silly me! The train from Vienna went to Venice! But I didn’t realize. JD and I got to the Vien Haupt Bahnhof in plenty of time, in cold wet weather. To say it was confusing is an understatement.  From Karl Popper Strasse you could get an escalator up to the correct platform: they had display boards there, but they were all in German. By luck we travelled up to platform 7, and it was the correct one, at least it looked correct.  From there you could travel down again to a range of shops and coffee bars.  We bought some rolls and iced tea to eat on the train; then JD found a coffee bar and we had more coffee. I was very nervous indeed; they didn’t have a ticket barrier where you show the QR code on your ticket like some Italy and French trains do.  But eventually we went back upstairs to platform 7, and it seemed we were in the right spot. There weren’t many people around and no one official.

Anyway, eventually a train drew up, and we boarded an economy carriage. It seemed that seats weren’t allocated.  We loaded our baggage at the end of the carriage. Thankfully the train was almost empty. An information screen showed all the timed stops on the way to Venezia Santa Lucia, including Udine, so we expected we were on the right train. We’re we then in the right carriage? I hoped so! It was quite a long train trip, and we had to change trains at Udine. There was an hour between trains, so I thought that would be plenty of time.

We had boarded this OBB  train with no supervision but a guard came and checked our tickets, clicking on the QR code.  It was a really picturesque and interesting train trip!  After getting out of Vienna and it’s somewhat brutalist buildings the rural land was flat for a time. Then it had steep hills and forests although there were some settlements with steep rooves and the kind of German -Swiss architecture one would expect to see. It was a long journey – 5 hours 23 minutes but so much more comfortable than being in a plane! Although the seats weren’t that comfy.

At some point we passed into Italy, and another guard checked our tickets.

During the Austrian part of our journey there were announcements of each upcoming stop and connecting trains and which side to alight. There was no such luxury in Italy but although there were lots of tunnels the scenery was stunning, and at one point reminded me of Arthur’s Pass area in NZ. I thought we would travel through Slovenia, but apparently not.

Eventually we reached Udine. More confusion, of course, but our train will go from platform 3, which is the one we just arrived on. There is about 50 minutes between trains. It’s like Civitavecchia, though: you have to go down a staircase to get to the main station. There seems to be no lift. I am desperate to use the restroom, so I go off in search of one, not carrying any money with me. I’m also scared of losing my way back to JD!

It’s a very long way to the restrooms. I go through the station and past the bar. When I get there, of course it costs €1, but the nice young man in charge waves me through. It’s quite clean and adequate: they usually are if you have to pay. Then I made my way back, thankfully ,to where JD was waiting, in the sunshine and there is even a seat. So we wait in the sun with several other passengers for our next regional train.

When it arrives thankfully there’s no up and down, as is so often the case with regional trains. There is a guard who assures me that this is the right train. It’s due at Trieste Centrale at 20:08.  It’s a very pretty ride, with snow-capped mountains and pretty flat countryside.

We reach Trieste, and it’s almost dark. The signposts are very helpful. We find our NH Hotel, prepaid, near Trieste Centrale, and arrange to have breakfast next morning: it’s cheaper if you order and pay for it the night before.

Jan Morris has written a wonderful book about Trieste, called Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere. Trieste (formerly home of the Lloyd Triestino shipping line, used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the end of the Second World War it was decided that Trieste should be part of Italy.  But the impression you get is that there are still major Austrian elements there as well as Italian. I really wanted to come here, although I can see why some would find it less interesting than other places. You don’t quite get the warmth of Italian hospitality here, there is a slight reserve, although people are kind and helpful.

And what a treat our room is, after Vienna! A big bed, plenty of room, a nice bath with bath and bidet, a mini-bar, fridge and tea making facilities; also a wardrobe and a safe. And a window that opens. And beautiful scuffs but not robes.

We went out to have something to eat. It’s been raining and is still quite wet.

The first place we try is full; there aren’t a lot of restaurants here! We walk for some time and find a pub and go there to eat. It’s pretty amazing: there is olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table, and the waitress brings us a basket of the best bread I’ve tasted for a while. The menu was Austrian: I had ham with sauerkraut, horseradish, mustard and potatoes; JD had a chicken schnitzel with chips, and he ordered a side of vegetables: eggplant (done the Italian way, which I like so much), zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper and endive. JD ordered a carafe of white wine and, of course, sparkling water.

Then we walk back to our lovely hotel and thankfully I sleep.

The next morning we have a pretty amazing breakfast. But it’s a bit of a scrum: the dining room is full! There is most of what I’ve come to expect, in the way of food, plus a few additions. There are lots of cakes, and breakfast goes from 7 am till 12 noon. I have orange juice which is red: blood orange, perhaps? And muesli with peaches, prunes and pears and kiwi fruit! Then I tackle making toast, which is complicated, no wonder no one else is doing it. You put the bread in tongs, and then I guess you have to turn the toaster on, and turn the bread? It’s complicated. But I have scrambled eggs on one slice of toast, and some bacon. The other slice of toast I have spread with peach jam. JD has to queue up to use the coffee machine. Then everyone empties out, and we are alone and wondering why we aren’t doing touristy things as well.

We go back to our room and I shower and dress, and then we go for a walk. We don’t have to checkout until midday, so we leave the bags in our room. I had hoped to go to mass at the famous cathedral, but we are too late for that.

What a gracious place this is! It’s an odd mixture of Austrian and Italian. There is beautiful architecture, reminding me of Paris. We pass the Grand canal. There are two huge cruise ships docked here, and thankfully we’re not on either of them.

There is a beautiful public square, which is not commercialised. Then we come to a market, but it’s all very polite with no hassling.  There are coffee bars but the menus are mostly downloaded from a QR code, so you can’t really tell what they have. None seem to have Sacher torte, and it’s a bit early in the day for it.

Then we make our way back to the hotel and since breakfast goes till 12, we are allowed to have more coffee and tea in the restaurant without paying extra.

We are due to catch the train to Venezia Mestre at 1:27 pm, but JD consults someone who says we can board the train from 2 pm. It goes from platform 6. With Trieste Centrale being the end of a line, it is less confusing than other stations. I trust that we will be able to catch a train from Venezia Mestre to Venezia Santa Lucia relatively easily. It is fine and warm now, much warmer than Vienna.

This has been really frustrating to book. Copilot assured me that there were plenty of trains from Trieste to Venezia Santa Lucia, but after having booked our trip from Vienna, I could not book the train directly to Venice. Being a Sunday may have had something to do with it.

We have lunch at Trieste Centrale – iced tea, and we share a baguette type roll, a cheese cake and some pineapple. Afterwards I go in search of a restroom. It is far away next to the police station and a grimy man charges me €1 to use the malodorous facilities there.

It is a really comfortable train, not full, and we change from our allocated seats to get a window view. It is so sunny and picturesque, a lovely short ride to Venezia Mestre. It’s pretty busy there but JD gets cheap tickets to Venezia Santa Lucia on a Regional train which is going from the same platform, it seems. We remember to validate the tickets, as required!

And so we ride to beautiful Venice, which seems a little muted after the excesses of the Sanchez-Bezos wedding, and although there are lots of people I think there are fewer than when we were last here in November 2024.

JD decides we will walk to our hotel, which is just fine, except there are quite a few bridges (hazardous!) and Google Maps instructions are very confusing. It’s really hard work: normally I drive his Kathmandu wheeled backpack, and he drives my wheeled small suitcase and overnight bag. But the overnight bag is totally unsuitable for such a trip, being quite heavy, and not with wheels or straps. I wish yet again that I hadn’t brought it on this trip.

Many times I felt like giving up, especially since there was a concern about security, not wanting to leave any bags unattended, and there were heaps of people around the Rialto bridge area. Finally we got to our hotel, and went with relief to our room. It’s so nice to come back here – my new phone clicks right into the Wi-Fi.

There is to be a strike here on Monday (the next day) affecting regional trains and local vaporetto, but I don’t think this will affect us, since we want to go to Salute, and we can walk there.

We dine early at a nearby restaurant, and it’s great fun: either we’re terribly early, or they’re not busy. Anyway, the carafe of white wine is delicious, as is JD’s spaghetti with bolognaise sauce and my pork scallopine with lemon. We also order mixed grilled vegetables, which come out first!  Afterwards we share chocolate cake, which again is yummy. I guess I feel it’s a really big deal to be here. And guess what: there is a beautiful bag store opposite our hotel, which has exactly the type of handbag I wanted to buy in Florence. 

Nga mihi nui!