Miramare Park, which at one time had no vegetation, and has now a surface area of 22 hectares (54 acres), stands on a rocky promontory overlooking the Adriatic Sea. The site was planned and arranged by Carl Junker, according to the wishes of Archduke Maximilian who carefully followed the building of his residence. As far as the botanical aspect was concerned, a gardener, Josef Laube, was called in but was replaced in 1859 by Anton Jelinek, a Bohemian who had taken part in the frigate Novara’s expedition around the world.

The park, on which work began in 1856, represents a classic example of a mixed, artificial implantation of ligneous forest-trees and bushes and it succeeds in blending the charm of a typically Northern environment and a Mediterranean context. In contrast to the baroque garden, the English one – on which Miramare is modelled – introduces a new relationship with nature, resulting from a different sensibility towards the material world. This is why, when strolling along the paths in the park, you can breathe in an atmosphere that is tightly bound up with the life of its owner and his romantic relationship with nature, which was typical of his epoch.

Before 1856, the park area was bare, with only some shrubs and thorny bushes. Today, on the other hand, there is a group of different species of trees that are, for the most part, of non-European origin or in any case, that are not native to the area. Within a period of ten years, cedars of Lebanon, North Africa and the Himalayas were planted, along with firs and spruces from Spain, cypresses from California and Mexico, various species of pine fromAsia and America, to which some exotic specimens, such as the giant sequoia and theginkgo biloba, were added. Miramare was conceived as a private garden and not as a park. In fact it does not have a monumental entrance or a driveway up to the castle. It was a garden of wonders, not intended for public use, even though the archduke opened it to the public a few days per week. Watercourses, pools, twisting paths, trees placed according to natural models, some grassy areas, are typical of English gardens. The roughness of the ground favoured the irregular lay-out of the promontory, combining the artificial transformation with the natural environment.

The park is also characterised by the presence of some buildings included in Junker’s project: the Castelletto – inhabited off and on by Maximilian and Charlotte – on which work began at the same time as work on the castle; the greenhouses, intended for the growing of the plants to be placed in the park; the ruins of the chapel dedicated to Saint Canciano, in whose apse is preserved a cross made from the wood of the frigate Novara, which was laid up in 1899; and lastly a little house, used nowadays as a coffee-shop, the “Swiss house“, placed at the edge of the swans’ lake.

Up until 1954, Miramare became the headquarters for German, New Zealand, British and American forces of occupation respectively. Finally in 1955, the complex was reopened to the public under the name Miramare Park, whose management was entrusted to the Sopraintendenza per i Beni Architettonici ed il Paesaggio e per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

Today the gardens play host during the summer season to spectacles such as the musical “Sissi“, reliving the story of the Empire in its natural setting, and various concerts.

We have been to Trieste where we spent a week in our delightful villa, a veritable jewel in this southern clime, and facing one of the most beautiful gulfs in the world. It is impossible to imagine so thoroughly blue a sea in the North. When I first discovered it, I was overcome by an indescribable enthusiasm.
Charlotte of Belgium. 1857*

*From Castle Miramare historical and museum park by Rossella Fabiani

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

The church was inspired by the Byzantine tradition and built on the plan of a Greek cross, surmounted by a light-blue coloured dome and four smaller domes in the corners. The exterior is decorated with mosaics, alternated with marble and coloured stone.
The interior is characterized by frescoes and precious paintings, together with a solid wood iconostasis that separates the presbytery and is the keeper of very valuable icons.
The Church contains a silver candelabra donated by the future Tsar, Paul I, during a visit to Trieste in 1772.

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.

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…