Oosterdam European Adventure, Trieste, Italy...

I was not out at 6am for sail in but did make an appearance later on deck to the grandeur of Trieste…what a beautiful setting!  This is also our first time to the area. Danijelas our guide met us at the pier, and we headed to Piran, Slovenia first. We were very fortunate to have Danijelas as our guide as she is from Piran and very proud to show us her beautiful town. Piran lies about 30 kilometers across the border from Trieste, Italy on the beautiful Slovenian coast. Piran is a small, picturesque town, built under Venetian influence, it was a very charming place to visit. We stopped for coffee in the town’s impressive Tartini Square. The square and the harbor front were a huge draw for photos. This square is the historic heart of the city and is surrounded by historical Venetian style buildings and monuments. At the center of the square stands a statue of Giuseppe Tartini, a composer, and violinist born in Piran. We started our walking tour up the hill behind Tartini Square and it brought us up to St. George’s Church. From this vantage point, we could see the Gulf of Trieste and 3 countries, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. We descended from the church to the waterfront promenade to see the lighthouse, stone sculptures and nice ocean views. We toured the narrow streets and with its compact houses that included the Jewish Quarter before returning to the Tartini Square. On our way back to Trieste, Danijelas drove us through the picturesque seaside towns of St. Bernardin, Portoroz and Lucia. Returning to Triest, we had no problem crossing the border. Once back in Trieste, we started our walking tour at the Unity of Italy Square, a great starting point. This is the main square in Trieste. Once home to the old marina, it faces the sea and is the city’s commercial hub, with several prestigious and important buildings line the square…Each of which features a stunning design and beautiful architecture. Aside from the buildings, there is also several impressive monuments and statues placed at various intervals in the square. In particular, the two iron sculptured columns that frame the entrance of the Square. Next, we walked through the Jewish Ghetto on our way to the Roman Theatre. A beautifully preserved Roman Theatre, it was built at the base of a sloping hill called San Giusto. Many of the archaeological finds discovered when the site was excavated in 1938 on the order of Mussolini. A little farther along we arrived at the Grand Canal…  At the end of the canal is the beautiful Church of St Antonio Taumaturgo. We made our way to the Borsa Square, home of the former stock exchange, which serves now as the Chamber of Commerce. We were quite impressed with Trieste, a city of elegant buildings and beautiful squares. We bid our farewell to Danijelas and thanked her for a great day and wonderful tour of two beautiful places.