CASTELLO DI MIRAMARE

About ten kilometres from Trieste, this magnificent castle is one of the city's emblems. Overlooking the sea from the top of its vertiginous promontory, it marks the seascape. In its green setting, its 22-hectare park, the building was built from 1852 to become the residence of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg-Lorraine, who was the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph. It was he who orchestrated its construction as well as the structuring of the Italian garden. The Archduke and Charlotte of Belgium, whom he had married in 1857, moved to the ground floor in 1860. But history was on the march... In 1863, the Archduke, who had accepted the imperial crown of Mexico from Napoleon III, ascended the throne as Maximilian I of Mexico. In 1864, he found a country devastated by civil war. His expedition went badly wrong. Taken prisoner by the Republicans, Maximilian was shot in 1967. His wife goes mad. The castle was then only opened on certain occasions. In 1945, it is occupied by New Zealand, then British and American troops. In 1955, with the Italianization of the region, the castle and park were nationalized and opened to the public.

Today, the splendour of the interiors competes with the magnificence of the gardens, which have become a small botanical reserve. It is an impressive visit, not to be missed. Allow half a day or, better still, a day with a picnic or snack on site or in a nearby fish restaurant.