We are still discovering the places where we can visit for day trips and Trieste was definitely on the list. My brother’s fiancee (!!) had lived there for two years and had some great suggestions for us, so we hopped a late morning train for the hour-ride to Trieste.
Since we arrived at lunch time, we made our way to Heather’s favorite restaurant, Mascalzone Latino, which featured Neapolitan-style pizza. She was right, I did not leave a bite on my plate!
After lunch, we figured we’d make our way to the shopping district she’d mentioned and decided to walk up to the Cathedral on the way. We ended up getting a great view of the city, since the Cathedral was up on a hill, overlooking everything. The day was overcast (are you surprised?) but actually quite nice for taking pictures, so there’s that.
As we made our way back down to the city, we started to hear band music (reminiscent of a high school marching band on a Friday) and we started to see crowds gathering in the streets below. Curious, and since it was on the way to the shopping area, we continued down until we stumbled on Eurocarnavales!
We had noticed confetti on the streets in all the piazzas, but I had just assumed it was something leftover from a previous celebration. Lo and behold, we started to see little kids all dressed up in superhero costumes and the like, and eventually the music got louder.
We found a place along the route and settled in for the parade! Most of the photos in the gallery below are from the parade, which seemed to have a strong German and Austrian representation, and our afternoon ended up being really festive!
By the time the parade ended, it was almost time to catch the train home…but we really enjoyed the city. Dave said it reminded him of Genoa, where his dad’s family lived when Dave was little. The wide avenues, lots of activity…I liked it. I can see why Heather enjoyed living there so much. It’s much more active than Udine…more vibrant. And not just because there was a parade, although that was pretty neat.
We would love to go back (especially when the weather gets nicer) and since it’s only an hour away by train, I’m sure we’ll visit again and do some more exploring!
Sounds like a fun trip!
Love this – glad you had such a good time. Wish I could have been there with you! xo