By Victor Caneva
Fatigued after a sleepless night, I decided my third adventure would only be taking the long way home. Four hours and seven and a half miles later, I suppose I had accomplished my goal.
On May 20th, after our customary hug at the entrance of Ospedale Maggiore, Ashley headed into the hospital and I walked east behind the imposing yellow edifice. There are some elegant palazzi in that direction, some of which almost make me appreciate pastels.
I turned uphill on via della Ginnastica, simply because I saw a curious stone facade with a passage for vehicles underneath. Turns out, it was just the entrance to offices for the local health system. Living in a new country can provide a sense of fascination that allows one to appreciate the otherwise mundane. Some may only see decrepit old doors, weathered paint, or a crooked gate, but coming from stucco-blighted Florida, I see mystery and history coming alive. I hope I never lose this wonderment as I become more familiar with my new home. Trieste is the perfect place to experience the charm of the everyday.
Soon, I was at the botanical gardens. I look forward to exploring the Orto Botanico, but they were still closed due to Covid-19 measures. Remembering there was a large forested area right uphill from the gardens, I trudged up the steepening slope and arrived at Parco Farneto, Trieste’s largest urban woodland.
Parco Farneto, known to Triestini as the Boschetto, contains over 915,000 square meters of forest. It stretches from San Luigi all the way to Melara and looks over San Giovanni to the north. Each chapter of Trieste’s disparate history has left a mark on the parkland, some more literally than others. The area has been a public wood for centuries, but in 1533 the Austrian rulers of Trieste constructed fencing and introduced reforms to protect the forest from unsanctioned woodcutting. In about 1750, Maria Theresa of Austria appointed an official hunter/caretaker to oversee the land. She had two houses built for the “Hunter,” one on the summit of the wooded hill comprising the park and another further down the slope. A section of town referred to as Cacciatore (or “hunter”) owes its nickname to this legacy.
Although Emperor Ferdinand I desired to bequeath the then lush Boschetto to the city “for the perennial enjoyment of the citizens” in 1844, Parco Farneto suffered greatly during the Second World War. Between the sourcing of timber for military use and as firewood for the weary populace of Trieste, much of the woodland was cut down. Several phases of reforestation and development followed the war, and in 2000, the park was reopened featuring paved paths, a playground, and recreation areas.
As I traversed Parco Farneto from west to east, the soothing roar of the forest refreshed my soul. Millions of leaves amplified the voice of the rushing wind, crescendoing with each powerful gust. Songbirds competed in surround sound as the dense canopy above the trail insulated me from the clamor of a city awakening from weeks of lockdown. So yeah… It was pretty dope.
I love that I can find solitude in a forest within walking distance of my apartment. Trieste is thoroughly able to be what you need it to be. It can be busy, offering plentiful diversions or it can be a quiet, leafy refuge. After enjoying the latter side of the city, I noted a “Now Leaving Trieste” sign upon exiting the park. It was time to continue the “long way home.”
