TimeOut

As you all know, I'm in love with Italy...

My wife is Italian, the food is gorgeous, the wine is not bad, the cars are among the most fabulous I know, a,d even some watches are very tempting...

So each year, we go bakc to Italy, to see famliy and friends, and some nice countries, as Trieste is just near the Slovenia Boarder ( 10 Kilometers ), and Croatia is only 10 kilometers more!

Each part of this trip is delight for the eyes...

France ends with the Mont Blanc, with one of the longer tunnel of the world ( a bit more than 11 kilometers long! ):



At the end of this tunnel, just another Marvel... The Courmayeur Panorama.



Then, it's a bit like a race to join Trieste, because the road is a bit long...1250 Kilometers to do in only one day, as the Holidays are short.

Here we are, after 12 hours of driving...

A small surprise, for Damian specially...

Look at his Avatar, this is the Zagreb symbol...

Look at the Trieste Province Symbol...



Quite the same...Eeeh, no, Damian, If I had the time to go till Zagreb, of course I'd contact you, my friend...

This is indeed a strange and interesting part of Italy...

When you think Italy, you imagine colored houses, Pine Trees, very nice odors of Orange Flowers, thym, jasmin, spices, etc...

Here, the Architectue is a bit German, as if we dind't have to forget that Trieste was a part of Osterreich for several decades.

But the Italian Style is here, and yes, beside Hausmannian houses and buildings, you see and feel the Italian roots.

This is a Holy Land, as you have the sea, the mountains ( Il Carso ), and a very nice blend of colors, brown, yellow, deep green, blue, this is just spectacular.

Here, from the heights of Trieste, in the Sunset:



Here in the sea side,







As you can see, the mountain is not far from the sea!

The City of Trieste is very appealing too...

It's not like in the South of Italy, where people is maybe warmer, but they are very nice, and welcoming, too.

Here are some pics of my favourite parts of Trieste...

This one is my absolute favourite, with a blend of all these influences that make Trieste so special and unique...



Here, the end of the " Piazza de Unita ", with these nice statues welcoming the people coming from the sea...





And there, the Roman Theater...



Part II to come: Istria ...

Best.

Nicolas

i too love italy  thx for sharing some of your trip with us

Best

I see that you also speak Italian! WOW.

Thanks for the nice words, my friend.

Nicolas

Istria has a complex story, and maybe Damian can tell us more about it.

It was an Osterreich place, then Italian, then Yougoslavian, and now a Croatian province...

Never mind, this is a beautiful and very pleasant place to spend some time!

Here some pics of a lovely City called Buje..

Note the particular style of the Church, a typical Istrian style you will see in all the Village of this part of Croatia..



God I love this town, here in a spectacular angle...



And there, on the top, offering you a vast panorama of the landscape, unique, beautiful, with a small village on the top of the pic, you hardly see, but which I will detail right now..BRTONIGLA ( Verteneglio, in Italian )...



So, here we are, BRTONIGLA is a pearl, a treasure, with its small houses, its unique ambiance, so uniqque that you believe for a moment that you live in another era, 50 years ago...





The Istrian Church, once again...



And some old houses...







One of my very favourite Tree...The Fig Tree, for its very nice sweet odor, and its esthetic...



After some tourist activities, let's have some rest on the beach...

Go down BRTONIGLA, drive 5 kilometers, and you will qarrive at Karigador...





Even my dog seemed to be happy!





As for the car, yes, this is a great GT, very pleasant to drive for such a long trip...

And it seems that its color perfectly matches with the landscape, isn't it???



Are you hungry?

Do you like See Food?

Here's a place for you...LOL





Time to go, now, and to take the car to go near Pula, more on the south...at some 30 kilometers from Rovigno, another greatissime place to see, but unfortunately, not this year...



Something very weird and beautiful, a road separating the laguna and the sea...



Another speciality of this part of Istria, the " Casetta "..." Small House ", build in stones, very nice!



And an odd church...



Well, it's tilme to go back to Trieste, and that's all for this summer, my friends...



Hope you enjoyed!

Best.

Nicolas

sometimes i wish i lived in europe these photos look amazing, food looks great mountains and scenery breathtaking is that your dog nico and a nice GT to enjoy the drive, i must return to europe thx nicolas.

Every part of the world has its good things...

I always wanted to travel in Asia, to see these different things we don't have in Europe, and hope that one of these days, I will come back to T.O to post pics of such a trip...

As for the dog, yes it's mine..American Cocker...

Best.

Nicolas

nothing to add nothing to take

as far as Istra is in question I won't go there

without being emotionally-political :0)

all I can say visit it you won’t regret it

no other place whit so many different parts to visit on such a small

area …. easy going people, great food, lot of little island and beautiful beaches

 … bunch of small vivid towns and villages

blend of at least 5 cultures (Illyric, Roman, Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Croatian)

from petrified dinosaur steps to summer resident palace of late Josip Broz aka Tito ;0)

so well done Nicolas

great report

thank you for sharing

and the Avatar issue that we will settle down

mono a mono man to man next year over Travarica LOL

Thank you

Damian

P.S. The Italian cars are greatest so what the hell are you doing in A5 :0)))  … Maserati GranTurismo comes to mind LOL

And few pictures of Rovinj aka Rovigno to share

 

 

. . . "Drive German, eat Italian, and drink Mexican - you can't go wrong" . . . cordially, Art

Drive Italian Eat French Drink Scotch

& Smoke Cuban

Sincerely

Damian

For me...

Guys, you're completely crazy, but I love that.

I'm not at all nationalist, in France, the wine, the food and women are excellent...

Forget the cars, and since a long time tobacco and cars...LOL

I prefer Italy, Croatia, Spain, and Swiss for a lot of things which are important to me..

Best!

Nicolas

Beautiful country to visit and your pics show it all.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

No message body

a beautiful place not that far from home ...
Thanks for sharing, will post some nice pics too .....

filip

That's the right word for it.
It's my favorite country in Europe.
Great post.
Geo

All the places I know are just charming!

Sicily is terrific, Toscana is so romantic, what to say about Roma and Venezia, and many other places....

Maybe Milano is a bit under, in terms of charm....

Thanks for the nice words, my friend.

Nicolas

This is a great part of Italy, a bit off the beaten track - no crowds, tourists,MacDonalds etc. You have found the ideal locations to enjoy a wonderful and relaxing holiday IMO. Charming seaside towns with fresh seafood and quaint architecture.Picture perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this memorable experience with us.

Best

Fernando

I think that AUTHENTIC is the word!

And I hope that it will remain like this!

Best, my friend.

Nicolas

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No message body

Never been to Italy before but your beautiful pics will be the motivation to my next trip.

Thanks and Cheers