Within the Gulf of Trieste, the Bay of Grignano is enclosed on one side by a promontory that extends northwards. Tradition has it that this was the place where, on a cold spring day in 1855, Maximilian of Hapsburg had to put ashore from a boating trip because of a sudden squall of bad weather and strong gusts of the local wind, the Bora. Struck by the tough untamed beauty of the coastline and the nearby hilly outcrop the archduke is said to have decided to buy this entire site and use it to realize what had perhaps been the dream of his life: the creation of a park and palace befitting his rank. He would name the place using the Spanish word Miramar, though he himself often used the Spanish version, Miramare – the name which is still used today.

The entire zone would become a key feature of the Trieste coastline. Now owned by the state, both the castle and the park were the fruit of the decisions taken by Maximilian himself, given that he personally oversaw the stages of design and construction. As a result, the building and grounds as they stand today are an expression of Maximilian’s character and passion, a unique testimony to his wide-ranging cultural interests. The furnishings and interiors of the castle are almost entirely original, and the park contains various rare species personally chosen by the archduke himself. To know Miramar is to know Maximilian – and, through him, to become aware of the various trends in architecture in the mid nineteenth-century Europe.*

Miramare is a delightful place. We have apartments – warm in winter and cool in summer – from which one can hear the murmuring of the sea and observe all the fishing boats as they cut through the blue waves.
Charlotte of Belgium, 1861*

*From Castle Miramare historical and museum park by Rossella Fabiani

We had an early breakfast sitting outside, which on this occasion wasn’t interrupted by rain. We had booked on an organised tour for the day, so after breakfast we strolled through the back streets to the bus station to pick up the minibus. Our first port of call was Trieste across the border in Italy. On arrival our guide Damjan took us on a short guided tour of the city, where he showed us among other things; the seafront statue, the seafront square Piazza Unità d’Italia, the remains of the Roman theatre and the Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon. As a Slovenian Damjan is passionate about Trieste and believes as other Slovenians do that Trieste belongs to Slovenia.

After the guided tour there was just enough time to for a quick drink. We didn’t chance ordering lunch because the service although friendly was rather slow. The drinks. however arrived with bowls of crisps and other nibbles. Whilst we were walking round Trieste we couldn’t help but notice street traders trying to tout their wares to the tourists. Their object of choice seemed to be brightly coloured selfie sticks and I wondered if they managed to sell many.

Our second port of call on the tour was Miramare Castle which is situated on the Gulf of Trieste. Miramare was commission to be built by Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian as a residence for himself and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. The castle is situated on a cliff high above the sea and is surrounded by a botanical garden. The inside of the castle is interesting and ornate and the gardens are stunning. Whilst we were there the temperature soared to 92^o so to cool off we bought a tub of ice cream and sorbet from a stand near to the castle entrance. We also grabbed a bottle of water to drink on the minibus journey back to Piran.

On arrival in Piran we made our way to the seafront and enjoyed a more leisurely drink watching the world go by before returning to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.  After the heat of the day a cool shower was welcome and I began to feel human again. Even in the evening it was too hot to stay inside for long so once again we found ourselves sitting on the seafront with a cooling drink watching the world go by…