An excerpt from Francesca’s Diary…

Duino Castle is one of the many castles that the city of Trieste has to offer. It was built in a Roman outpost and from the inner courtyard you can see the sixteenth-century Tower. It’s located in Duino, municipally Duino-Aurisina, near Trieste.

The castle was constructed in 1389 with the help of the Captain of Trieste. The ruins of the previous castle built in the eleventh century by the Patriarch of Aquileia are located on the grounds. After the Captain’s death the property of the Castle passed to the Habsburgs who passed it to various German and Italian noble families. In the nineteenth century, it became one of two residences for Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis and his wife. 

The Castle remains with the family to this day and is owned by Prince Alexander and Princess Marie’s great-grandson, Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino. The exterior is a huge and solid construction that overlooks the Gulf of Trieste, inside you can find masterpieces of art and historical relics.

During the First World War it was bombed and some parts were destroyed and later rebuilt. Today the Castle looks like a collection of buildings that has come from different periods built around a courtyard enclosed by high walls. There are also two balconies that dominate the entire gulf and an accessible Tower where you can have a view over the whole territory.  

Over the centuries it has hosted numerous famous people, the visit to the castle and its gardens allows you to admire the fortepiano played by Franz Liszt. The panoramic view on the gulf of Trieste offers the possibility to see the Miramare Castle and the city, while on the right it is possible to see Slovenia and a little side of Croatia. This is the only viewing point where 3 countries are visible.