The province of Trieste is exclusively coastal, stretching from the Castello di Duino southeastward to the Istrian peninsula, where the town of Muggia is the final stop before crossing into Slovenia. This skinny finger of Italian land extends entirely into foreign territory, isolated from the rest of Friuli by the rocky Carso plateau.
The city of Trieste is also the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Here, the city’s Austro-Hungarian heritage is evident in both the architecture and cuisine. In contrast, Muggia’s architecture is noticeably Venetian in style.
Two seaside castles are worth visiting in this province. Castello di Miramare, built by Archduke Maximilian in the mid-19th century, perches on a promontory just north of Trieste. With a starkly whitewashed wedding-cake facade, the castle is surrounded by fifty-four acres of perfectly manicured gardens. At the northwestern end of the coastline is the 15th-century Castello di Duino. This castle marks the beginning of the Sentiero Rilke, a mile-long path that hugs the meandering coastline from Duino to Sistiana Bay.
The surrounding Carso, a rugged stretch of land dominated by limestone and dolomite, provides plenty more opportunities for hiking, none better than the Riserva Naturale della Val Rosandra near the town of San Dorligo della Valle. Other sights in the Carso include the Grotta Gigante, the world’s largest tourist-accessible cave, and the Casa Carsica, a typical 18th-century home in the town of Rupingrande that is now open to visitors.
