Castello di Duino

If I were to buy a castle in Italy, the Castello di Duino would do very nicely.  Unfortunately, the current owner, Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino, seems unlikely to sell it to me, especially at a price I could afford.  Yet, after visiting, it is easy to daydream about living in this castle with its beautiful interior and views of the coastline over the Gulf of Trieste. 

Breakfast on one terrace and wine on another, a stroll near the lower garden with the pretty pool, gazing over to the ruins of the 11th century Castello Vecchio - yes, it would be easy to spend my days here. 

 The castle was built in the 14th century and acquired in the 19th by Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis and his wife Princess Marie, one branch of a German noble family.  After moving to the Italian castle, they changed their name to a more Italian form, becoming the della Torre e Tasso family.  They were great patrons of the arts and hosted both musical and literary guests, including Liszt, Strauss, Twain, and Rilke.

The castle has remained in their family, passed down from generation to generation. Today it is open as a museum, presented very much like the home it once was. 

It is possible to climb to the top of this tower to take in the view

If the exterior of the castle looks familiar to you - it might be because it was used in filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The approach to the castle is along a path lined with statues and with views down to both the garden area and out to the sea.

Inside the castle grounds, a courtyard leads to an imposing tower. A climb will reward you with 360 degree views.

The castle’s interior is elegant, detailed, and beautifully furnished. 

There is a wood paneled library and several drawing rooms one of which has a piano that Liszt once played.

The dining room, with a table set as if guests were expected any minute, was especially lovely. It was so easy to imagine the fascinating guests that once gathered here. I can just imagine the sound of their conversations and clinking wine glasses; perhaps stepping out onto the balcony for a smoke, the views, and a whispered conversation.

Another fascinating detail was the elegant spiral staircase which connects several floors. Designed by Palladio, with pretty bannisters and gorgeous light fixtures, it is functional art.

The visit to Duino, arranged by the Piccola Università language school in Trieste, was a highlight of my visit to this region. Oh to time travel and visit in past centuries.

The ruins of the 11th century castle

Wine Tasting in a Friulian Castle

Italy has 20 regions, 5 of which are semi-autonomous based on their history, unique culture, and diversity of language.  This designation provides them with a greater ability to manage their own governance, finances, and education.  One of these 5 regions is Venezia-Friuli Giulia, in the northeastern most part of Italy, bordering on Slovenia and Austria.  Local identity runs deep in this area (as in all of Italy), and the Friuli sub-region is no exception.  With a history that moves from the Romans to the Longobards to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and finally to its inclusion in the Italian Empire, and with its own Friulian language, Friuli is a unique medley of influences. 

The wine cellar still has traces of previous owners

Mostly an agricultural area, Friuli is best known for its white wines.  A variety of grapes are grown in the region, with several DOCG and DOC designations.  The whites include Fruilano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc.  Some reds also are produced, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pignolo, and Ribolla Nera, though they make up a much smaller percentage of the local wines. 

I spend most of my time in Tuscany, and the Lucchese wine shops tend to stock mostly Tuscan wines, so the Friulian varieties are not very familiar to me.  At least they weren’t until a recent wine tasting at the Castello di Spessa in the village of Capriva del Friuli, 25 miles and a world away from busy Trieste. 

The Castello has a fascinating history beginning with its construction in the 13th century.  Passed down as part of a 15th century dowry, it remained in one family for the next 300 years.  During that time it played host to several famous visitors including Lorenzo da Ponte, who wrote the libretti for some of Mozart’s most famous operas (including my personal favorite, Cosi Fan Tutte).  The  scandalous Casanova came to visit too but was banished after a romantic liaison during his stay (with a maid or the owner’s daughter – we can’t be sure). 

Ownership changed several times in the late 1800’s and into the 1900’s. Wine production began sometime in the years between 1925 and 1940. During WWII an underground bunker was built on the property, used first by Germans and later by Americans.  Long forgotten, it was rediscovered by the current owners who found it to be the perfect temperature for storing grappa. 

Down, down, down to the once abandoned WWII bunker. Today it is where the grappa is stored.

In 1987 the Castello was purchased by the Pali family.  They renovated the property, expanded the vineyard, and developed the surrounding land into a spa and golf resort.  Today they host events, weddings, vacationers, and wine tastings at the Castelllo.  Several of their wines bear the names of those earlier owners and visitors to the castello - there is a Casanova Pinot Noir, a Rassaurer Fruliano, and even an Amadeus Brut.

Delicate and sparkling, this was my favorite of the wines we tasted

Our group (all students at the Piccola Università language school in Trieste) enjoyed a wine tasting in the Castello’s tasting room. We sampled primarily whites (still and sparkling) and one red (a Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot blend).  Along with each glass our hostess provided information about the vines, grapes, and production methods. 

All the wines we tasted were very good but I had a definite favorite – the Pertè Ribolla Gialla Spumante, a sparkling wine made by the classic method (unlike Prosecco which is made by the Charmat method) with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. It was dry with perfect soft bubbles.  A delightful wine which had me wondering how I could possibly get several bottles home to Lucca on the train.  Unfortunately, that was impossible. 

A tour of the wine cellar followed our tasting. The cellars have a variety of rooms which contain not only wine but bits of the history of the Castello and some old winemaking equipment. What is it that makes dusty old wine bottles so fascinating?

As we left the Castello, our parting gift was a gorgeous tramonto (sunset). A perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon of wine tasting.

contact info: Castello di Spessa Golf Wine Resort and Spa. Via Spessa 1. Capriva del Friuli GO 34070 email: info@castellodispessa.it

Cividale del Friuli

To enter the hamlet of Cividale del Friuli is to walk into a long ago era. Even more so when the day is misty, overcast, and feels a bit eerie. About an hour by car from busy Trieste, it feels a world (and centuries) away.

I went to Cividale, along with a small group of students from The Piccola Università Italiana in Trieste, on an afternoon excursion arranged by the school. We arrived to a spot overlooking the Natisone river which seemed to glow with an unusual iridescent green color. Not to worry though - the color is not due to pollution but is naturally occurring because of the minerals deposited by the water flowing down from the nearby mountains.

Il Ponte del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge)

The bridge across the river is known locally as the Il Ponte del Diavolo (the Devil’s Bridge) and of course there is a legend that goes with the name. Does any village in Italy not have its own legends and myths? Oddly, the story in Cividale is identical to the one told at the bridge built by the same devil just outside of Lucca. Must have been one busy devil!

Most of Italy was once inhabited by the Longobards

Much of the Cividale feels medieval but there are traces of earlier civilations too. The most intriguing part of Cividale’s history involves the Longobards. A bit of a history lesson is required here. After the Roman empire fell in the 5th Century AD, this part of Italy was ruled by the Byzantines until it was conquered by the Longobards. The Longobards had slowly moved from the north into Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia. In the last half of the 6th century they arrived in what is now northern Italy. Cividale del Friuli was the first Longobard Duchy. Eventually most of Italy, 35 Duchys in all, were part of Longobardo Italy.

Their empire fell with the arrival of Charlemagne, but traces remain in both the landscape and the language of Italy. Today, the group of Longobard sites scattered across Italy are a UNESCO site, with Cividale being the perfect place to begin exploring this lesser known chapter in Italy’s history.

My visit to Cividale was just one afternoon in a light rain that quickly became a torrential downpour, so I was only able to get a taste of all that the village had to offer. The rain drove us mostly indoors to two museum complexes. The first was the Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle. Once an 8th century convent, where the daughters of noble Longobards might have lived, it remained a place for nuns through the 1800’s and continued as a convent and girl’s boarding school right up to the year 1999. Today it is a museum with a small chapel and beautifully displayed frescos remnants.

It also has something unique inside - the Tempietto Longobardo (Lombard Temple) . This very small temple, which dates to the 8th century, is a wonder. Small but soaring, the space seems perfectly designed for quiet contemplation and divine inspiration.

Tempietto Longobardo

Lined with carved wooden benches on both sides, it rises quite high with intricately carved lunettes, frescoes, and relief sculptures of saints. Large columns support 3 barrel vaulted arches with only fragments of the original frescoes remaining. But look up - the ceiling still has some beautiful intact artwork.

The Tempietto is unlike any other temple or chapel I’ve seen. The interior can be viewed through small windows from above on the upper floor of the museum. Small groups are admitted into the Tempietto itself, via a small and easy to miss door near the complexes exit / viewpoint over the river. If you can only do one thing on a rainy day in Cividale - make it this.

Our group also made a stop at the Archeological Museum. This is the place to get a sense of Cividale’s Roman history along with information about the various archeological digs in and around Cividale.

Roman era mosaics are always fascinating and the artifacts found in the various digs and gravesites were interesting too.

Cividale provides a great introduction to Longobard history and provides gorgeous views along the river. It’s a must-see place when visiting the Friuli area. Next time I will order a day without rain to be better able to explore the city center.

This path leads from the Oratorio di Santa Maria in Valle to a viewpoint above the river. How many young nuns may have walked this path?

Città Vecchia, Trieste

When I mentioned to friends that I was headed to Trieste, I inevitably got two reactions.   First was that it is a wonderful city with really good coffee.  Second was to watch out for La Bora, Trieste’s famously frigid wind which creates havoc as it roars down from the northeast.   During my stay I experienced both. 

The coffee was great, especially when sipped inside one of the city’s historic cafes.  Their elegant settings reminded me of Vienna, which is no surprise since Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire for centuries.  That influence can be seen throughout Trieste in the grand architecture, large squares, statues, cafes, and even in its culinary traditions.  Triest is a blend of Italy and those Habsburg roots which makes it a unique place to visit. (below, Caffè degli Specchi)

As for the Bora, it struck one day after a week of pleasant weather.  And when I say it struck, that is not an exaggeration.  The cold (with a wind chill down to about 30 degrees) and wind together just about knock you over.  I was very glad to have brought a winter sweater, heavy scarf, gloves, and a warm hat that covered my ears.  Fortunately, the Bora lasted only one day and then we were back to mild weather.

Piazza Venezia

But Trieste is much more than coffee and wind.  The Citta Vecchia runs along the part of Trieste that follows the coastline and is flat before the city heads uphill to Castello San Giusto.  Better still is its long stretch of pedestrian only streets that run from Piazza Venezia through the pretty garden of Piazza Hortis with the statue of Italo Svevo, and to the Piazza Unita d’ Italia which is Trieste’s grand public square (top photo).  Along the way are shops, bars, restaurants, pastry shops, and some interesting meandering side streets.

Locals call the 2 Moors who ring the bell atop the clock tower Michez and Jachez

The centerpiece of the Piazza Unita d’Italia is the 1870’s City Hall with its tall clock tower. Up at the top, two bronze Moors strike the bell to mark time. 

In front of the city hall is the Fontana dei Quatro Continenti (4 Continents Fountain).  Designed in the 1700’s when only 4 continents were known (Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas), each is represented by sculptures at the corners of the fountain.  On top is a winged female figure, facing the sea, who represents Trieste.   

Removed from the piazza in the 1930’s (our guide said that Mussolini ordered it removed because he didn’t like the non-Italian cultures depicted), it was restored and put back in place only about 25 years ago.  Today it is a fountain without water, in part because when the Bora blows the spray of water would turn the piazza into an icy hazard.

Fontana dei Quatro Continenti, the African corner

From Piazza Unita d’Italia the pedestrian path continues through Piazza della Borsa (site of the old Stock Exchange, below).

Then it is on to the Grand Canal and Piazza del Ponterosso (look for the famous statue of James Joyce).  This is the perfect place to end a walk through town with a spritz.

 Further inland from the Gulf, Trieste becomes hilly with a steep climb up to its high point and the Castello San Giusto.   More on that coming up in future posts along with some of Trieste’s Roman History.