Trieste, Italy (stats courtesy Wikipedia):
Pop Total (2013?): 204,849
Area Total: 84.49 km2 (32.62 sq mi)
Density: 2,400/km2 (6,300/sq mi)
Elevation: 2 m (7 ft)
Weather: Brisk winters, warm/hot summers
Warm Season: Apr – Oct
Currency: Euro, some places still don’t take credit card so bring cash
Language: Italian, mostly good English

What’s so special?
It is a beautiful and very historic city, dating back to the protohistoric period. Outstanding and well preserved Roman exhibits. Diverse European history, which is reflected in the architectural styles throughout the city.

Perhaps the most famous thing you will want to check out is the Piazza Unità (Unity Square). This is the largest sea-front square in Europe. And its timeless, majestic beauty will move you. There is just not a lens wide enough to capture what it feels like to stand there. What you can’t see behind me is the beautiful Gulf of Trieste!

One of the things that did strike me about Trieste is its history with and dedication to the Roman era (1st and 2nd century AD). There was one place where they found this old archway imbedded into a building. They gently tore the building down and uncovered a trove of Roman artifacts, including the still intact archway.

Another even more dramatic example of that is the Roman theatre. They found traces of it underneath a building, then took down all the buildings in that area and dug down deep, uncovering the almost in tact Roman theatre. Go see this place and feel their ghosts still there enjoying a theatrical presentation.

We took the PromoTurismoFVG two hour tour of the city. When you book your tour, remember to make sure you get English. We were the only non-Italian speaking people in the group so they did each segment in Italian, then summarized for us in English as we walked to the next area. Not the best way to get it, but it got the job done.

Accommodations

We stayed at the Residence Liberty hotel. Great location, centrally located for walking the city, and only a couple of blocks from the water. This place felt pretty special to me. First of all, it’s more like a suite compared to most places we stay in Europe. We had our own kitchen, and the bathroom was huge.

The setting was historic, meaning it’s very old. Some people don’t like this type of rustic feel. But we stay in a lot of B&B’s that are set in old, historic houses, and this definitely feels like that.

The staff was awesome. There was no bar/restaurant.

Restaraunts

Citta di Cherso: Service was good, and you do need a reservation. Good quiet atmosphere. Small but not cramped in. Good wine, only offered regional. We got the malvasia wine, it was excellent.

Scabar: They misplaced our reservation but still were able to get us a good table. Overall the food was a little fancy but very good. Again, we got the malvasia wine. Good prices. Note that this place was too far to walk, we used a taxi.

• Trieste