12 March 2018

Spring in Trieste between the Karst and Osmiza What do Triestinos do in Spring?

What do Triestinos do in Spring?

Spring, as we know, is the happiest time of the year, and Spring in Trieste is certainly one of the most beautiful periods. The light, the warmth, the perfumes and the colours awaken the desire for open-air life, in the city as well as in the gentle heights of the Karst.

The Karst shines with a fresh green and blooms that invite long walks. After a cold winter, sometimes punctuated by the Bora, (the strong wind that is worth facing at least once in a lifetime) the outdoor tables of the many local restaurants return to life.

The Barcola promenade becomes again a destination not only for walks (from Bus number 6 in the Marina to the Castle of Miramare) but also for those eager for their first suntan.

Spring in Trieste is perfect for the romantic and for the lovers of nature. The Miramare Castle Park, with its hundreds of varieties of trees, is a wonderful labyrinth in which to get lost.

The Triestines come out of hibernation and repopulate their beloved Karst, which always hides new surprises even to those who know it well. The most fascinating destination is certainly the Giant Cave, which in 1995 earned its place in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world.

But the least known destination for outsiders are the Osmize, which become a second home at weekends.

The Osmize are wine cellars in private houses where you can taste wines (not only) typical of the Trieste and Slovenian Karst plateau. The wines that are found in these cellars are usually the Vitoska and Malvasia (white) and the Terrano (red). In addition you can taste cheeses, salami, olives, eggs and home-made pickles. The Osmize are a meeting point to spend a few hours with your friends in an extremely convivial atmosphere.

The peculiarity of the Osmize lies in the fact that it exists only in the province of Trieste (continuing partly along the Slovenian coast) and derives from an old tradition dating back to Charlemagne, but set during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which allowed producers of local wine to sell their products directly from their homes for a period of 8 days. It is no coincidence that the word Osmiza comes from osem, which means eight in Slovenian.

Today as then, the Osmize are signposted by a branch on the side of the road that points to it. Nowadays the Osmize are not governed by the traditional eight days; the fun lies in losing oneself in the Karst, without knowing where to go, and in discovering new Osmize to visit.

Some are very special, facing the sea on the ridge overlooking the Gulf: the view goes beyond the horizon and on a clear day you can see the Croatian coast up to Punta Salvore.

Some are surrounded by greenery or in the middle of vineyards or olive groves. A particular pleasure is meeting the real people, the locals: families, groups of young and elderly people who live this ritual with simplicity and the desire to sing and be together typical of these convivial spaces. Nowadays there is a website to find out which Osmizas are open, but our advice is to follow your nose – lose yourself on the plateau in an Osmiza hunt. And your spring in Trieste will be coloured with flavours.

For more refined palates there are some excellent wine cellars that can be visited by appointment. Among the many, we recommend Kante, Zidarich, Lupinc, Bajta, Parovel or Skerk.

Once you arrive in Trieste and at the Victoria Hotel Letterario we will help you find the Osmiza or the wine cellar that suits you – just ask at the front desk.

Lorenzo Vidoni – General Manager