On the road that connects Trieste to Monfalcone, there is the village of Duino, nestled between the white cliffs that plunge into the Adriatic and the southern slope of Mount Ermada. Walking through its streets, you will meet both bathers heading to the marina, and visiting tourists, but also the many students of the United World College. A village whose history begins as early as the third millennium BC and whose widespread municipality, Duino - Aurisina, extends as far as the Karst. It is the northernmost place in the world where there is a Mediterranean climate.
Historical notes
There are many finds that testify the importance of this territory already in Roman times. The history of Duino is linked to that of its two castles: the Duinese lordship dates back to 1211. During the First World War it was the scene of combat between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops. After the Second World War the territory was annexed to Italy in 1954.
And we, who think about happiness
as to something rising, we would feel
the emotion, which almost frightens us,
when a happy thing falls.
Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies
Notes for a visit
A visit to the Duino Castle. Built around 1400, it was born as a military settlement, but was transformed from the nineteenth century into a court of a humanistic type. Johann Strauss, Franz Liszt and Reiner Maria Rielke also stayed there. The tour lasts approximately a couple of hours. A curiosity: from the castle you enter the bunker hidden in the cliff built during the second world war. It is also possible to visit the Old castle, built in the first decades of 1100, of which the ruins remain clinging to a rock overlooking the sea.
The small historic center of Duino is crossed by alleys and the ulca, the main street. Part of the walls that protected the center are still visible today. Next to the castle is the Church of the Holy Spirit.
Along the cliffs the Rilke trail and forest of Cernizza, whose paths lead to the paleontological site and to the sources of the Timavo and Church of San Giovanni in Tuba. A simple church, which stands on the remains of an ancient pagan temple. Legend has it that "the ancient church of San Giovanni built at the exit of the Timavo river was called "te Tuba" because one of the first colonies of survivors of the universal flood settled here". And it is here that, at the end of the world, one of the four angels of the Apocalypse will blow his trumpet on the day of doomsday.
The legend of the White Lady
Like any self-respecting castle, Duino's also has its legend! Under the walls of the castle, in the cliff you can see a large white stone, reminiscent of a female figure wrapped in a cloak. And the White lady. It is said that in the Duino Castle once lived an evil knight and his bride, a woman with a pure heart. Theirs was not a happy marriage. Her husband offended his bride every day with words and gestures, and she bore in silence out of love. One day, determined to end the marriage, the man deceived the bride to the cliff and pushed her into the sea. The woman, shocked, just before being swallowed by the sea, let out a heartbreaking scream. A cry and then silence: in her pain she was petrified. His body had turned into a large white stone still visible in the cliff of the Duino Castle. His ghost is said to still roam the Castle.
Local events
At the end of June it awaits you Sea and Vitoska in Morje, which offers tastings and conferences to enhance the taste of one of the native vines of the area. In October, in the locality of Medeazza, in the Trieste karst, the unmissable festival of horses and must, three days with the "osmizze" open, various kiosks along the town and the A great amount of; a manifestation dedicated to the world of horses. Three days of food and wine, walks and fun together with the world of horses.
Typical products
Among the local wines, absolutely must try Vitovska, a border vine, a straw white, unique for its characteristics. There are numerous agritourism companies that produce oil, honey, cured meats and cheese. Don't miss a ride in one of the osmize open. Follow the branches that indicate the osmize, or open houses where you can taste wines and typical products such as eggs, cooked ham with kren, salamis and cheeses directly in the cellars of the farmers who produce them.
How to reach Duino
Duino can be reached by car (A4 motorway, Duino exit). By train with the Sistiana-Visogliano stop, on the Trieste-Venice line. Or by bus with the lines departing from Trieste or Monfalcone.
