In the Roman era, the coast line lay at the foot of the hill and has withdrawn over the centuries. The theatre therefore once stood near the sea front and was built exploiting the hill slope for the terraces, divided into four sectors by radial stairways. The site was restored to its current state at the end of the 1930s when a series of Medieval houses that had surrounded it in the meantime were eliminated. The theatre’s dimensions are considerable: the maximum diameter is 64 metres, whilst the terraces are 15 metres high and can seat around 6,000 spectators. Constructed between the 1st and 2nd century under the wishes of Tergeste’s Q. Petronius Modestus, State prosecutor for Emperor Trajan, the theatre fell into oblivion following the town’s dwindling importance. It was subsequently rediscovered in 1814 by archaeologists.
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city. Trieste is located at the head of the Gulf of Trieste and throughout history it has been influenced by its location at the crossroads of Latin, Slavic, and Germaniccultures. In 2009, it had a population of about 205,000[1] and it is the capital of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Province of Trieste.
Trieste was one of the oldest parts of the Habsburg Monarchy. In the 19th century, it was the most important port of one of the Great Powers of Europe. As a prosperous seaport in the Mediterranean region, Trieste became the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague). In the fin-de-siecle period, it emerged as an important hub for literature and music. It underwent an economic revival during the 1930s, and Trieste was an important spot in the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs after the Second World War. Today, the city is in one of the richest regions of Italy, and has been a great centre for shipping, through its port (Port of Trieste), shipbuilding and financial services.
Until the Second World War, this was one of the richest sacral buildings far and wide. It had a rich library and a collection of paintings by famous masters like Benedetto Carpaccio, Girolamo Santacroce, Vivarini and Palma Jr., which were displayed in the monastery church. In the presbytery, there was a big renaissance triptych by Cimo de Conegliano. The most attractive feature of the church today is its precious late Gothic benches from the end of the 15th century and a Baroque organ. Till the 16th century, the church was dedicated to St. Mary of the Angels, when it was renamed the Church of St. Anne.
I arrived home to be informed that visitors (family members) were due to arrive shortly. It was a nice surprise but it meant that my evening Christmas preparation plans were put on the back burner…
Whilst we were enjoying a catch up with our visitors the doorbell rang and on opening the door we found yet another family member delivering Christmas cards. A few pleasantries where exchanged but they were on their way out so they chose not to come in.
As our guests left someone else turned up at our door with rucksack in hand… He opened it up and pulled out a parcel which he explained had been delivered to his house just around the corner from us. He mentioned that the box was open and had to be re-wrapped, which he looked a bit uncomfortable about. I thanked him for delivering it to us. On inspection the parcel was intact as supplied by the courier, but on opening it I found that one of the boxes of high quality printing paper had a small split. I think he may have been trying to convey a message from the courier, which he himself didn’t understand. The paper is fine and I will be putting some of it to use tomorrow
After all this excitement it was time to think about an evening meal. We elected for an easy option and while that was warming up the phone rang…
It was my mum phoning to tell us that she had (eventually) been to the doctors with her chest ailments and now was on a course of antibiotics to clear a chest infection. I have been telling her for weeks she should go to the doctors but she kept saying she was too busy… Thankfully one of her friends made her see sense!!
The photos are from a brief moment of calm when I was able to visit Wightwick Manor on Saturday afternoon
PS: I haven’t included the story of a new born baby that caused us to adjust all our weekend plans
