Castle and Tree

Miramare Castle

The main entrance

Oddshot on Monday

More water in than out.

Click on over to Katney's Kaboodle
to the rest of the Oddshots from around the planet.

Blossomed Alabarda

Blossomed alabarda, a detail of the impressive wrought iron gate to the "Muzio de Tommasini" public garden.

Contovello (part 2)

Here we are back in Contovello (go to Thursday for the first part).

At the bottom of this quiet lane is the old church (1634), whose bell tower was intentionally built low to withstand the strong Bora gusts.

Skywatch Friday post

Sunset on a perfect flat sea.

See more Skywatch here.

Contovello

The gate into the medieval hamlet of Contovello, which lies a few kilometres outside Trieste.

This is all that remains of the hamlet, and it is surrounded by houses built much more recently. The village, perched on the karst ridge with a stunning view over the gulf, has nevertheless kept its timeless charm.

(to be continued on saturday)

The dinosaur

The Ursus, the aquatic dinosaur you can clearly see in the centre of the photo, was built in 1914, it weighs 2200 tons and is 75 metres high. The floating platform on which the crane rests, is 54 metres long and 24 metres wide.

The rotating crane used to lift a load of 150 tons as high as 70 metres on only one hook.
It could move independently thanks to two engines and two rudders. It had 18 crew members to guarantee the functioning of this huge machine. At full power and with a calm sea it could reach 4 miles per hour.

It was the pride of our dockyards and of the busy commercial city of Trieste. It was built to lift huge engines and move them into the bellies of transatlantic liners, and to carry cannons on the Austrian navy warships.
It lifted locomotives and railroad wagons and during the postwar period it rescued shipwrecks sunk in the gulfs of Trieste and Muggia.

Today, after years of inactivity and a recent brief renovation, it wanders about the Gulf, moving from place to place, waiting to know its future destiny. There are no resources available at the moment to fund its conversion, but the idea is to turn it into a museum eventually.

Ursus

The pontoon-crane "Ursus" moored to a wharf in the gulf of Trieste.

Tomorrow I'll tell you some history and you can see exactly how large this aquatic monster actually is.

Oddshot on Monday

2 Piazza Edmondo Puecher.

Just as I was taking a photo of the graffiti on the door and the rubbish skip, this man strolled past up the hill. Then, lo and behold, he turned round and strolled past for my second attempt! So, as it is street number 2, I thought I'd put the 2 of him onto the same photo, for an odd shot.

Click on over to Katney's Kaboodle
to the rest of the Oddshots from around the planet.

Phantom of the opera

(Via S.Nicolò)

Locked out

Skywatch Friday post

Two little clouds out on a day trip.

See more Skywatch here.

Boats on stilts

The crowded moorings of the Sacchetta Marina.

Monte Grisa Temple

Few people had a go at guessing, but Luisa soon let the cat out of the bag. Yesterday's photo showed a small area inside the "National Temple dedicated to Virgin Mary, Mother and Queen". This very unusual church, constructed in 1945 and consecrated in 1966, rises majestically up on the ridge of Monte Grisa at 350 m above sea level and can be seen from many parts of the city.
It has two floors, and is made up entirely of triangles . This is why the people of Trieste refer affectionately to this temple as "El formagin" ("the little cheese", a term used to refer to cheese triangles).

Triangles

I think it's probably quite hard to guess what this building actually is, but if you want to have a go, I'll give you the answer tomorrow.

Odd shot on Monday

Legs galore!
(found in market housed in former silo).

Click on over to Katney's Kaboodle
to the rest of the Oddshots from around the planet.

Art gallery

An art gallery in Piazza Vecchia.

Rilke path

"It may not be by chance that the Duino Elegies came to life in a castle perched on a bluff, which, much like human existence, looks out of a few windows, my own included, over an immeasurably open stretch of sea, onto Everything" (from a letter from Rilke to Hedwig Fischer, 1911)

One of the many illustrious guests of Duino castle was the Prague-born poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who found the inspiration for Duino Elegies during his stay here.

In memory of this event, a panoramic path of about 2 km has been named after the poet. The path runs high up along the sheer rocky cliff between Duino and Sistiana bay. In this photo, taken from one of the castle windows, the rocky cliff is easily visible. The path runs right along its top edge. The view is breathtaking.

(part 1 - 2)

Skywatch Friday post

Another tiny section of the "Great Triestine Road Network".

Here's the other bit of the long long snake.

See more Skywatch here.

Duino Castle (part2)

The castle's elegant spiral staircase designed by Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580), a Venetian architect widely considered the most influential architect in the history of Western architecture.

Here's a link to other works by this ingenious architect (it's in Spanish but photos are universal)

(part1)

Duino Castle

We have already glimpsed Duino castle in this old post, but we were really a long way away. This time we are in the castle courtyard.

The new castle of Duino dates back to about the year 1400, when the family Wallsee commissioned the construction of a strong fortress. Over time, the Wallsee family disappeared and the castle, after being used as a prison, became the residence of the Luogar and Hofer. At the end of the 19th century it became the property of Prince Alexander Johann Vincenz Rudolf Hugo Karl Lamoral Eligius von Thurn und Taxis from the Czech Branch of the House of Thurn und Taxis. It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner. The castle has been opened to the public as a museum and park (wiki).

Duino

The small harbour of Duino, a coastal village in the province of Trieste. The two castles are its main attraction. The older castle, dating back to the eleventh century, is in ruins, while the newer castle is inhabited to this day and can be visited by tourists, and we will visit it in the posts over the next few days.

Odd shot on Monday

Even though we know that there are several climbing routes behind the natural tunnel, which lies along the main coastal road leading into Trieste, it always gives you a bit of a frisson to see a climber at such close quarters while you're driving home!

Click on over to Katney's Kaboodle

to the rest of the Oddshots from around the planet.

Theme day: (A) glass

of Biancosarti.

Biancosarti is a sweet liqueur, a distillate of herbs, spices and flowers, with a unique flavour deriving from the presence of rinds and roots; it is a strong alcoholic aperitif (28%). The publicity slogan, l'aperitivo vigoroso che mette il fuoco nelle vene (the vigorous aperitif that puts fire in the veins) is part of the "cultural baggage" of all Italians (or at least it is of anyone my age).
There was also an unforgettable seventies advertisement for Biancosarti starring the great Telly Savalas. (see the video on youtube).


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Veiled statue

This statue is lying on the fontana dei quattro continenti in Piazza Unità.

It is an allegory of the River Nile, pouring water from a pitcher into the shell below, but why is it veiled?
The source of the Nile were unknown for a long time, indeed even the Emperor Nero sent two centurions in search of the headwaters, but they were bogged down in the swampy marshes and got no further, but it was only finally discovered at the end of the 19th century.
This explains why the male figure representing the river was sculpted with its face obscured by drapery, as mysterious as the source of the river. There is another famous veiled statue, in Piazza Navona in Rome, in the fountain of the four rivers.

Skywatch Friday post

Cityscape in black and white from the old port.

See more Skywatch here.

Allegoria del progresso

We are in Piazza Unità again, looking up at a detail of Palazzo Stratti by Antonio Buttazzoni (1839), which hosts the Caffé degli Specchi ("Café of the mirrors") on the ground floor.

At the top of this palace lies a sculptural group by Luigi Zandomeneghi representing an allegory of Trieste's progress.

Thanks to the zoom lens, this is the first time that I have been able to spot the objects that lie near the female figure: a locomotive, a cog, pliers, an anvil, and on the far left, an owl.

I was puzzled by the presence of the owl, but a quick search on wikipedia cleared up any doubts I had about the link between the bird of prey and progress: "In Greek mythology, the owl, and specifically the Little Owl, was often associated with the goddess Athena, a bird goddess who became associated with wisdom, the arts, and skills, and as a result, owls also became associated with wisdom."

Ospedale Infantile Burlo Garofolo

And here it is, the place where minors can come to sober up (see yesterday's post).

Joking apart, the children's hospital, established in 1856 to ensure medical care to poor children, now carries out biomedical research in various areas including mother child health, epidemiology prevention and quality of care, pediatric neurosciences, chronic diseases with onset in pediatric age, pediatric surgery and rehabilitation, and in neonatology. And it is, of course, also the place where nearly all Triestines come into this world.

Carnival owl

A newspaper billboard is called in italian "civetta", which is literally little owl, but also means coquette, flirt or tease. So these devices are commonly referred to as "civette" because their purpose is to entice the passer-by into buying the actual paper (quote from Livorno Daily Photo, thanks Vogon Poet and Trillian).

Trieste is buzzing with the carnival and today is the grand finale with a lot of partying and major drinking binges. A few, however, obviously decided to get a head start and begin the fun on Sunday; and here is yesterday's "civetta" of our local newspaper, Il Piccolo, with the scandalous news "Alcoholic night. Ten minors (girls) admitted to the Burlo" (the children's hospital).

The Latin saying semel in anno licet insanire (once a year it is acceptable to be mad) must apply to minors too, don't you think?

Odd shot on Monday

I graduated from this university fifteen years ago, but when I saw this yellow 'university canteen' sign almost perched on top of the rubbish bins, it seemed rather apt and brought back some pretty unpleasant memories - I do hope the quality of the food has improved in the meantime.

Click on over to Katney's Kaboodle
to the rest of the Oddshots from around the planet.

Palazzo Gopcevich

Palazzo Gopcevich, situated in Via Rossini 4, was commissioned by Spiridione Gopcevich in 1850, to the design of architect Giovanni Berlam, and subsequently purchased by the Municipality of Trieste and converted into a museum venue. It is certainly one of the most beautiful and famous buildings in the city.

"Commedia"

I 9 savi (9 wise)
Acrylic on wooden board.
cm 160 x cm 120

I dedicate today's post to my dear friend Guido Zamattio (aka GuZama) whose solo exhibition is opening today at Teatro Miela in Trieste, and runs till March 7.

Here are a few words from GuZama himself (quoted from his profile on deviantART):

Hi to everybody!
This saturday, 21 of february at 7:30 pm in the bar space of Miela Theatre there will be the vernissage of my personal exhibition with the title of "COMMEDIA" (commedy, meaning the classical sense of the term). There will be new and older paintings: a kind of anthology of all the work of 10 years playing with these hybrid creatures of soul, body and electric technology. At the opening there will be as special guest the "POP-TOXIQUE" ensamble dj set.
Wellcome people in carnival dresses!

Good luck Guido!

Skywatch Friday post

cityscape in red and blue.

See more Skywatch here.

I ♥ Topolini

I "Topolini" are the most famous bathing facility in Trieste.

They are called "Topolini" (little mice) for their semicircular shape that looks like the ears of Mickey Mouse. There are ten Topolini and each has bathers of a certain age group: the first ones are for old people and families, the ones further along are for adolescents: obviously the first are very quiet while the others host a rather rowdy lot.

During the summer, the Topolini are literally under siege from thousands of people of all age groups. Finding a space for your towel can be a hard job if you don't arrive early and even walking about can be difficult because the place is packed with families or large groups of students.

Of course it is free to use and there are no limited hours of opening.

In the photo: a few steps of the little winding staircase leading to the sea.

Julius Kugy

"And thus you, the long sought and passionately desired miraculous flower of my heart, will rise some time from the dreams of my yearning, from the strength of my trust, from the mysterious gloom of your origin, of your blossoming and vanishing, and you will come and join me in the late evening of my life. Silent and modest, soft and smooth is your sunny figure, your tiny calix has a silvery gleam, the shining white garment of petals is embroidered with golden anthers, you are immersed in a transparent mist of far-off longing, encircled with an aureole of poetry, myth and romance. It will be in this form that you, the little princess from fairy land, will be looking at me from your new castle high above the foaming young Soca. In your heavenly reality. Scabiosa Trenta! Never did my belief in you die, though you seemed to be beyond my reach. And though you were far away, I have never been unfaithful to you. I have been on the lookout for you all my life, anxiously listening to any news about you. I have been repaid for my love by the great, beautiful, good, eternal mountain."

Born in 1858 into a prosperous family, Julius Kugy lived in Trieste and had many passions, botany, writing books and discovering and climbing mountains. At a very young age, he became interested in botany, and in the flora of Karst in particular. During his studies, he met a well-known botanist Muzio Tommasini who brought the unsolved enigma of a flower named Scabiosa trenta (the Scabious of Trenta) to the attention of young Kugy.

He systematically visited (walked, climbed) practically the whole of the Julian Alps, aided by the local guides, most of them wild hunters. He was very careful about selecting these, and although they were already masters on their own terrain, he gradually made them first class climbing guides.

Although he knew the approximate location where the Scabiosa Trenta was first spotted, he walked around with different guides for months and years without finding it. On the other hand, he did find the beauty of the Julian Alps, which he described in his unsurpassed books about the Julian Alps.

If you now walk or climb in the Julian Alps, you will probably be following in Julius Kugy's footsteps.

During the First World War, Kugy was moved to the army because he knew the area very well but he did not carry a weapon. He only worked as an adviser on the Austrian side of the front. In his middle age he started writing, which soon became his other passion. He wrote seven books. Six of them describe the Julian Alps. His style of writing shows how he loved mountains. His first and most famous book was published in 1925 under the title Aus dem Leben eines Bergsteigers (From the Life of an Alpine-Climber).

He died at 85 in Trieste.

His statue stands in the "Muzio de Tommasini" public garden.

Climbers

If you enlarge the photo you can see them. One is in the centre, one slightly to the right.

Rock climbing in Trieste goes back a long way: generations of climbers have sped out to the nearby hills immediately after work to enjoy the limestone delights of Napoleonica, Val Rosandra and Costiera.
What you see here is a small section of the Napoleonica, a famous crag near Trieste; perched on a hill overlooking the city and its bay.

If you are interested in climbing in Trieste, this book is what you need: Climbing without Frontiers Rock Climbing Guidebook covering Slovenia, Trieste & Istria

Stazione marittima

A detail of the pediment adorning the maritime station, once a passenger terminal and now a congress centre. The pediment is embellished by a central clock, with two bas reliefs along the sides, one of a male figure, the other female, both sculpted by Franco Asco in circa 1930.

Happy SAD !

After the sentimental Valentine's day, comes Singles Awareness Day, when single people gather to celebrate or to commiserate in their single status.
Some want to remind romantic couples that they don't need to be in a relationship to celebrate life.

Valentine's Day