By Victor Caneva
Our move to Trieste has not been what we expected. After falling in love with this mysterious city, we finally moved here in mid-December.
Instead of diving into the sights, sounds, and tastes of the city, our early days in Trieste were filled with medical appointments that later confirmed my wife, Ashley, has breast cancer. By the time she received her second chemotherapy infusion, the coronavirus emergency had begun sweeping over Italy. In the midst of adapting to a mountain of change, our lives (along with the rest of the world’s) were turned upside down again.
The morning of Wednesday, May 6th was cloudy and breezy as Ashley and I walked to Ospedale Maggiore for her next infusion. Once at Maggiore, we exchanged a masked, but passionate hug. Due to hospital policy during the Covid-19 emergency, I could no longer go into the hospital with her.
I decided to head up the Scala dei Giganti to my favorite bench in the Parco della Rimembranza. It’s a peaceful place to pause and watch the Carso rise up to the northeast. I had hardly had a moment to process all the change of the last few months, but since our two little boys were visiting with my parents, I settled down, took in the view, and enjoyed the quiet. As I sat on my bench, the Bora evicted the clouds and haze southwest over the Adriatic and the gloomy morning was suddenly transformed into a brilliant spectacle. The clarity of the air made the structures scattered on the hills across the valley pop like shiny stone sheep in the sunshine.
My plan was to go home and do the dishes… but since we recently had been granted the freedom to walk throughout the Comune, I decided to explore my new home. The good thing about being cooped up for most of the time I’ve lived in Trieste is that I enjoy every chance I have to get out in it. There is still so much to discover.
With my autodichiarazione in pocket, I descended San Giusto Hill and cut through an eerily quiet Citta Vecchia where I discovered some glorious pink and yellow roses wrapped around a tree above the Teatro Romano. I continued to the Rive and then took a quick stroll out to the end of the Molo Audace. The wind whipped down from the Carso in gusts and white caps danced in the Gulf of Trieste. I wasn’t ready to do those dishes yet – I was enjoying my solo adventure in Trieste too much.
I continued north past the train station on Viale Miramare and then hung a quick right up some stairs. Arriving at another, much taller set of stairs, I gave my thighs a pep talk and scaled the Scala dei Lauri. At the top, I had a Trieste “Aha” moment and realized I had emerged at Via Commerciale. I’ve noticed that when I take new paths in Trieste, I often end up in places I recognize and wonder how in the world I got there. Sometimes reaching a destination is a gruelling, leg-burning exertion, and sometimes I can get to the same place in a manner that requires much less grunting. I guess I’m learning to “walk smart not hard.”
Determined to see the views from Colle di Scorcola, I turned left and trudged upward. At Via del Panorama, I was rewarded for my effort with a… well… panorama of the Adriatic I had never seen before. Finally, I turned back south, because those dishes were not going to do themselves. Completely surrounded by flowers on Via di Romagna, I felt like I had trespassed on a set where someone was shooting an advertisement for Springtime. Some of the villas on this hill were quite grand and must have had amazing views. “Being quarantined in there wouldn’t be half bad.” I thought to myself. As Via di Romagna wound homeward, my head, like the Trieste sky, was much clearer than it had been in the morning. I can’t wait to wander around Trieste again.
You took me on a journey through this article! Vicariously, I imagined myself strolling though the landmarks listed. I was lost in the words before I knew it I was nearing the end. Thank you. I much await the day when I too can travel to Trieste and encounter the history, culture, architecture, and nature’s great beauty.