by In Trieste
Every Saturday we’re spotlighting remarkable local females who could change the way we look at the world. This Saturday is Micol Brusaferro’s turn, published writer, journalist and a true Triestina.
Were you born in Trieste?
Yes, I am a born and raised Triestina. Years ago when I was offered a job in another city I turned it down as I didn’t want to leave Trieste. I adore traveling the world but I always end up coming home. And Trieste is home.
You work for various magazines, including the famous local daily newspaper, Il Piccolo. Have you always been passionate about writing?
Absolutely. I started writing short stories at the end of elementary school so I knew what I wanted to become early on. I began my career in 2000 by writing for a sports magazine. After that I worked for 10 years as a reporter for Telequattro news station. At the same time I started my collaboration with Il Piccolo in 2005 and eventually many other projects came along.
You are also a highly acclaimed published writer
I wrote eight books about the quirks and oddities of Triestine life. I am really lucky to be able to do what I love for a living.
What are your go-to places in Friuli Venezia Giulia?
Two places have my heart. Grado, where my family owns a summer house. It is filled with happy childhood memories of spending summers with my sister and friends by the sea. And then the mountains of Friuli Venezia Giulia, where I go snowboarding in winter. I have recently discovered this sport and instantly fell in love with it.
What’s your favorite place in Trieste?
It’s not a place but a time of day. I adore watching the sun go down on the sea as it always makes me appreciate Trieste and its incredible beauty even more.
What do you need to do to be a real Triestina/o?
You have to know the dialect, although the younger generation doesn’t really speak it anymore which is a pity as it is part of our cultural tradition. I always spoke dialect with my grandma who recently passed away at the age of 103. I really miss our long chats, strictly in Triestino.
Who would you be if you didn’t become a writer?
Probably an archeologist. At school I would devour all of the books on the subject. I was and am really passionate about Egypt and I would’ve loved digging and finding the treasures of the past. But I took a different road, for which I am grateful.
Greetings to the intrieste.com team,
I enjoy reading the articles about and news from Trieste. I was wondering if/when one of your writers/reporters will feature (or solicit from readers) some more human interest stories about people who were born in Trieste but left at an early age, and/or served in the US Military there. I was born in Trieste in 1952 – my father was a US soldier stationed (worked and slept there) at the Miramar Castle for 4 years (1949 – 1953) , and my mother was a Triestina. I returned to Trieste, sometimes with my parents and brother) to visit my cousins, explore the city, revisit its unique monuments, and so forth over the decades. Trieste is a unique city in a strategic location with a magical atmosphere and character. The Miramar Castle was a special place for my father; he was fascinated by the architecture, the furnishings and art, and where he proposed marriage to my mother, Vera Lidia Regina. We always visited the Castle when we visited Trieste as a family over the decades. He pointed out where his bedroom was, spoke of his memories of his US Army service, and the geo-political circumstances in Trieste of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. To honour him and his love of Il Castello di Miramare and Trieste, we commemorated this passion with a depiction of this castle on his gravestone at Arlingon National Cemetery. It is the only depiction of Il Castello di Miramare at Arlington National Cemetery. I treasure an old oil painting of the Miramar Castle which I bought at a flea market in Germany. I keep it on the wall in my home office and it reminds me of my British-American father and Triestina mother, the aroma of the Adriatic Sea and the scent of the surrounding hills. The plot of the novel – A Perfect Mother – by Katri Skala has an uncanny resemblance to my mother’s background and family history in Trieste. I emailed Ms. Skala about this similarity. Truth is often stranger than fiction. I have a strong emotional connection to Trieste because of my parents and I can understand basic Triestino and the Italian language. I have a journalistic background and wrote a travel story with photos about Trieste for an English language newspaper in the Middle East quite some time ago.
A recent CNN story that mentions Trieste within a bigger context of international understanding is:
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/pen-pal-message-in-a-bottle-friendship/index.html
Thank you and best wishes. Robbinroger Beever in Germany
Thank you, Mr. Beever, for your very enjoyable story. Ed Nacinovich (a Triestino living in Brussels)