Global Travel Writers: Articles

Trieste: the end of an empire, or two

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:21:00 -0400

The slow train eastbound from Venice hugs the craggy, forested Adriatic coast as it nears the city of Trieste, affording tantalising glimpses of the Castello di Miramare, a fabulous folly built out on a promontory in the 1860s by the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Maximilian and his wife Charlotte. With his fairytale castle barely complete, the young aristocrat took the opportunity to become Emperor of Mexico, an adventure which would soon end in tragedy.

At the station in downtown Trieste, we find ourselves a stone's throw from the Serbian Orthodox church, the old synagogue and much else to remind us that this was once a most cosmopolitan port, the only sea port for the sprawling Austro-Hungarian empire, dismembered after the First World War. Veteran travel writer Jan Morris enthuses over this somewhat cryptic city, not quite Italian, no longer Austro-Hungarian, and now tucked into a pocket of Italian territory almost encircled by Slovenia.

Trieste lacks the must-sees of other cities in northern Italy, in spite of a history extending back to Roman times, but in some ways that is part of its charm. Launches bob at anchor in the Grand Canal whilst caf� patrons nibble cicheti appetisers and sip Campari spritzes on the nearby Piazza dell�Unita d�Italia, an imposing town square laid out by Austrian town planners.

Image gallery online at www.pbase.com/travelgame/trieste

Smooth Passage

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:17:00 -0500

I�d come to see for myself why the Swiss Riviera, and other European Rivieras in fact, dotted throughout the Mediterranean, have long been a stamping ground, not just for the well heeled, but writers, celebrities, artists, composers, musicians and nosy parkers like me.

Not only do they come but surprisingly often, as was the case with Charlie Chaplin and Audrey Hepburn, they set up permanent digs at their favourite seaside or lakeside towns. Brigette Bardot, Tina Turner, Elton John and Bono to name just a few, have holiday homes in the French Riviera while Antonia Bendaras and Melanie Griffiths prefer the Spanish Rivieria. Either way you look at it it�s a glamorous way to avoid winter altogether.

While the Swiss Riviera was the celebrity hot spot in the early to mid 1900s, smart money invested in the French Riviera in the 1950s and 1960s. In the seventies it was the Italian Riviera while Spain came into its own in the 1980s and 1990s. Today the spectacular coastline of new hotspots Croatia and Montenegro are where the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kerry Packer and Apple supremo Steve Jobs like to hang out.

Southern Comfort

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:50:00 -0500

As we boarded our plane for Rome I realized I was really nervous. In the weeks leading up to this trip, I�d immediately opened every Italian guidebook we had come across to the Safety and Security section, to see if my unease was justified. I wanted to find out if our planned trip � self-driving around southern Italy � was foolhardy.
Privately I thought it was.
I�d even quipped to friends: �So long as we get back with our bags and passports, I�ll be happy.� Then I�d add, �And the car!�
The plan was to drive south from Rome, where (good sign) it turned out the rental company had upgraded us to a natty little navy blue Alfa Romeo, then south to Naples, heeding warnings galore about pickpockets and worse.
From there we planned a quick lap around Sicily (watch out for the Mafia, friends said) then back to the mainland, outlining �the boot� of Italy and the back of the leg, crossing back from a point on the east coast, level with Rome.
Four weeks, we�d given ourselves, to do all this. That�s if we lasted the distance. Word was the locals weren�t too fussed about tourists. That was yet another thing, and I wondered why I wasn�t simply packing up and heading for Paris. My mood was as black as a Calabrian widow�s dress.

Two sides of Paradise

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 06:13:00 -0400

If heaven is infinite, then it shouldn't have any sides at all. But what the Italians call the nearest thing to heaven - Gran Paradiso National Park - has enough sides to qualify as an earthly paradise.

To the north-west of the Park, the locals of the Aosta autonomous region are somewhat schizoid, finding it hard to decide whether they are really French or Italian. The people of the east are even stranger - true mountain folk, many of whom who still wear traditional costume and speak a Proven�al French patois, as they drive their cowherds along the tortuously winding roads. And on both sides of the Park, it would not be a clich� to call the scenery totally awesome.

Venice Unmasked

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:24:00 -0400

The masks of Carnevale personify Venice, a fantasy city whose real life is hidden behind a tourist veneer and hardly ever revealed to strangers.

Venice is like a stage and the triangle between Rialto, San Marco and Accademia like a revolving play.

The setting for Shakespeare�s Merchant of Venice and Thomas Mann�s Death in Venice, the city has drawn many a writer, poet and filmmaker under its romantic spell.

Carnevale is a time for dressing up, merriment, dance, mime, theatre, opera and parties; this is when you get to see behind the mask and into the dark side of the city.

But, even if you can�t visit during Carnevale, you�ll still get a taste of it in the many mask shops which grace the city...

Copyright �Karen Halabi 2007Story & Images.

Story can run from 1300 to 2500 words depending on editorial requirements, or be presented as a photo essay with captions.

Huge range of other original images available of streets, canals, waterways, shops, gondolas and gondoliers, Piazza San Marco, restaurants, etc, available from author.

Venice in Winter

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:11:00 -0400

While most cities are at their worst in winter, Venice is at her most atmospheric.

On a grey wintry day Venice is magical, not depressing, dreary and damp. Perhaps it�s that the tourist throngs thin out to provide near uninterrupted views of Venice�s visual masterpieces. You can stand in that amazing drawing room, the huge marble piazza known as San Marco and suddenly there is nothing between you and the white filigreed limestone dazzle of the Doges Palace, save your breath and the fluttering of pigeons�.

Story can run from 1300 to 2500 words depending on editorial requirements, or be presented as a photo essay with captions.

Huge range of other images available of streets, canals, waterways, shops, gondolas and gondoliers, Piazza San Marco, restaurants, etc

Eurail Explorer

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 22:35:00 -0500

Most people use the excellent Eurail train pass just as a means of getting from A to B. With the whole of Europe offering some superb high-speed rail services, this is certainly the way to go. But the Eurail Pass can also be used to explore little-known trails into the vast countryside. Getting off the beaten track with the Pass involves a little research, but more importantly, a willingness to venture into the great unknown.