On the drive from Ljubljana to Piran on Slovenia’s coast, the thought of real Italian pizza and gelato was too great so we too a quick detour to Trieste to enjoy a little Italian hospitality.

Trieste is a large port with 200,000 residents so I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of things to do or places to visit but I was pleasantly surprised by how much character the city has. Sure, much of the city consists of ugly post-war apartments but the charm of the historical centre quickly put that out of my mind. From the grandeur of Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia to this historic Roman ruins at Teatro Romano there is plenty to see.

Things to Do in Trieste

As it turned out, I had a bit of car trouble and while the nice boys at Fiat were fixing the problem, I had plenty of time to explore Trieste (5 days to be exact) and the surrounding area.

Piazza Dell’Unita D’Italia

One of the largest and most beautiful squares I’ve ever seen, Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia sits right on the waterfront. There are a few expensive places to eat here but unfortunately no where else to sit so all there really is to do is look at and admire the Austro-Hungarian era palaces, preferably while eating a gelato from nearby Jazzin, one of the best gelateria I’ve encountered in a long time.

Teatro Romano

Right in the heart of the city, a short walk from Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia, you can see the Roman amphitheatre which dates back to the 1st century. While this kind of historic site is common in Rome, I didn’t expect to see it in northern Italy and it seems almost out of place in this modern city. I find it incredible to think that when it was built the theatre was by the sea but with time the coastline has changed to the point where the it’s now around 400 metres from the water.

Castello di Miramare

Miramare is Trieste’s most popular beach and by beach I mean concrete. I couldn’t bring myself to lay on the pavement like everyone else but instead went to a private ‘beach’ where you can hire beach beds for €4. This is a much more civilised way to enjoy the Adriatic and once you’ve cooled off you can walk a couple of hundred metres down the coast to Castello di Miramare, the castle of Maximillian and Charlotte of Habsburg. Take bus number 36 (buy tickets from a tabacchi) to get to Miramare and get off at the last stop. Castello di Miramare and the beautiful gardens are a 10 minute walk from the bus stop.

Tram de Opicina

The Opicina tram is interesting and unusual in that it’s both a tram and a funicular. You can get on the tram at Piazza Oberdan (not far from the Synagogue of Trieste) for the price of a bus ticket. About 5 minutes into the journey, the tram stops and converts into a funicular to continue up the steep hill. There are great views of the city and coast during the funicular ride and 10 minutes later it changes back into a tram until the final stop in Opicina. There is not much to do in Opicina itself, except perhaps to enjoy the slightly cooler temperatures or to take the number 42 bus to the Grotta Gigante.

What to Eat in Trieste

Being on the coast, it’s not surprising that fish and seafood play a big part in the local cuisine. However, I was on a mission to indulge in pizza and even though there aren’t that many pizzerias in Trieste, I still managed to eat

a slice or two each day of my stay.

Pizza in Trieste

Pizzeria Copacobana has one of the largest ranges of pizza I’ve ever seen anywhere. It’s very central (just down the road from Teatro Romano), very popular, and very cheap. If you would prefer somewhere a little quieter, there is a little pizzeria on Via Torino, not far from Piazza Venezia. My favourite though was at California Bar in Miramare. It’s hard to beat pizza by the sea.

The All Important Gelati

I feel it is my duty as a travel and food blogger to sample as many different gelato flavours as possible. Fragola, limone, mandarino, nutella, noce di cocco… and that was just on day 1 :P I always used to choose fragola and limone (strawberry and lemon) but recently discovered there is nothing better than mandarin gelato.

In most places the gelato goes for €1 per scoop which is very inexpensive when compared to other big Italian cities. Jazzin is a little more expensive but is worth it for the extraordinary flavours and little gelati cups which are pure works of art. Gelato Marco (located halfway between Teatro Romano and Pizzeria Copacobana) is a good after pizza option and the huge gelateria off Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia got repeat business from me. Honestly though, it’s pretty tough to find bad gelato in Italy.

Where to Stay in Trieste

I can’t recommend anywhere to stay in Trieste because my hotel sucked and the internet there sucked even more but the Hotel Miramare looked to be sleek and contemporary when I took a peek inside. The only reason I didn’t stay there was that the €140/night price tag was a little out of my budget. If you don’t want to dip too deep into your wallet, Ostello Tergeste (also in Miramare) has double rooms with ensuite for €45/night but there’s no internet in the hostel, a big negative for me.

Being stuck in Trieste for 5 days wasn’t the painful experience I imagined it would be. Trieste is noisy, dirty and chaotic and I loved it.