A MUSICAL CASTLE
We’d checked the distance and the castle seemed achievable from our hotel. Well, Lorraine thought she could walk it, though I had my doubts if she’d survive the climb. Along the flats in the middle of town it was easy but then there came the hill and a statue of Carlo Michelstaedter, a radical Italian philosopher of Jewish extraction whose one and only work was conceived as an undergraduate thesis, but he never saw it in print because he committed suicide in 1910, aged 23.
We troll past a shop with exotic foodstuffs and can’t help but notice some bottled Buderim ginger featured in the window. Just below it was another sign on some wrapped lollies “senza zucchero zenzero AUSTRALIA”, which meant I could buy my sugar free dried ginger right here. It’s a small world.
It was slow and overly warm getting up from there but we took it easy and Castello di Gorizia came into view. Dating back to the 11th century it’s clearly the highest point for miles around.
The chapel-sized Church of Santo Spirito seems like a ticket office on the way to the main attraction. In a park on the opposite side of the road there’s a bust of Gabrielle D’Annunzio, a famous and prolific Italian writer and WWI hero who was hugely influential in the Fascist movement, inspiring Mussolini. He was noted for self-promotion.
From the 11th century Gorizia was an independent county until Austria took over in 1500 and it became a major cultural centre. It was only after the fallout from WWI, when it suffered badly, that it came to be in Italian hands. This once castle-of-the-counts has now been done up as a tourist attraction but it holds a surprise, at least for those of us who hadn’t done their homework properly.
The solid walls are much covered in plant life these days and the parapets are quite impressive from below and when you enter through the gateways the cobblestone walkways add an air of authenticity as you climb their steep angle. Only the base is original though. It went through many rebuilds from the 13th to 16th century and was bombed during WWI before being restored for the final time. The restoration is evident in the variance of the colours in the stonework.

Town Houses in Province of Gorizia

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Featured Town Houses in Province of Gorizia

Trieste 411 (Rooms & Apartments)

Trieste City Centre

Michael

ControVento

Trieste City Centre

HIROSUKE

9 Stanze Boutique Rooms

Trieste City Centre

Kimberly

Full-sized fridge, microwave, oven, stovetop

Orienty Home Pentacoro

Trieste City Centre

Gary

RM310 total

includes taxes & fees

3 Dec - 4 Dec

In-room safe, desk, iron/ironing board, free WiFi

Oriana Homèl Udine

Udine

Giuliana

Affittacamere Berzi

Trieste City Centre

Katharine

Alla Stazione

Trieste City Centre

Thomas

RM254 total

includes taxes & fees

1 Dec - 2 Dec

In-room safe, individually decorated, individually furnished

1448 Antica Dimora Al Merlo Bianco

Cividale del Friuli

Carl

Tergestroom

Trieste City Centre

stephen

RM444 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Dec - 9 Dec

Trieste Art Loft

Città Nuova-Barriera Nuova-San Vito-Città Vecchia

Natalia

Residenza Le 6 A

Trieste City Centre

theresa

RM570 total

includes taxes & fees

1 Dec - 2 Dec

Villa Fiorita

Monfalcone

"We arrived very early but Leah allowed us to check in immediately and she opened the dining area in case we were hungry. She spent a long time on her phone arranging transportation for us for very early the next morning. The building is old, but the rooms were more than adequate and the beds were comfortable. The outdoor veranda was a perfect spot to enjoy wine and cheese from a nearby grocery store."

Deborah