• Discover Trieste, one of Italy’s most enigmatic and atmospheric cities

• Explore the undiscovered Istrian Peninsula including the Croatian town of Pula

• Remarkable blend of Habsburg & Venetian history

• Marvellous selection of art & monuments across the centuries

• Very good Friulian, Slovene & Istrian food & wine throughout

• Centrally located 5* hotels in Trieste & at coastal Portoroz on the Slovene Littoral

Your first question might well be is Trieste Italian? Or perhaps, is Istria Croatian? The answer to both is an ambiguous yes, and no. Trieste and its immediate southerly neighbour, Istria, rest on important cultural and geopolitical fault lines. Both fell successively under Venetian and Habsburg domination for much of the last millennium. Together with their ancient Roman and Byzantine predecessors, all have left an indelible mark on the coastal towns and idyllic villages of the Istrian Peninsula - from Trieste and the Slovene Littoral in the North to Pula at its southern Croatian tip. This cultural mix is still felt today in the political detritus of the last century, indeed of the last few decades, as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated. Language, religion and cuisine straddles three worlds: Italy and the Mediterranean, Slovenia and Mittel Europe, plus Croatia and the Balkans. Our visit will explore these varied histories, seen against a diverse selection of buildings representing these three nations along the northern Adriatic. 

Trieste and the Istrian Peninsula developed rapidly following Julius Caesar’s conquest of the Veneti and the Istri tribes and its subsequent consolidation under the Emperor Augustus, as seen in the many Roman remains at Trieste and Pula. Trieste is a city of strong contrasts: though now in Italy, it is not obviously Italian in either looks or culture. It is more a place shaped by the Habsburgs who controlled Trieste for centuries until 1918, a veritable ‘Vienna-on-Sea’. Rapid economic growth in the nineteenth century, based on Habsburg administrative reforms consolidated Trieste’s status as a ‘free port’ within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its commercial network attracted Italian, Balkan, Greek and German-speaking merchants, even an Irish writer called James Joyce - all contributing to the city’s unique cultural ‘feel’. Enlightened businessmen founded major shipping and insurance companies whilst embellishing the city with palaces and art collections, all of which we shall encounter in this handsome and fascinating city.   

Venice’s dominant role in Istria’s history is literally carved into the very fabric of beguiling coastal towns and inland hilltop villages. Classical loggias, handsome piazzas, splendid churches and secular buildings shaped from brilliant white Istrian limestone all proudly sing of the beauty of ‘Venice’. Piran, Pula and Porec are testament to Venice’s tenacious grip of its Adriatic possessions, which inevitably dissolved with the arrival of Napoleon, the end of Venetian independence and the full annexation of Istria to Austria-Hungary.

In Trieste we stay at the 5*Grand Hotel Duchi D’Aosta, perfectly situated in Piazza dell’Unita’ D’Italia, Trieste’s iconic main square facing the Adriatic. Handsome palazzi, piazzas full of bars, restaurants, shops and most of which we plan to visit are within easy walking distance. The 5* Hotel Kempinski Palace is a historic property located in the coastal Istrian town of Portoroz in Slovenia, overlooking the charming waterfront. This luxury hotel has a heated salt-water indoor and outdoor pool, sauna and two restaurants.  

Day 1: Wednesday 13 October – We fly from London Heathrow to Venice, arriving in the afternoon and transfer by coach to Trieste staying for three nights at the 5* Grand Hotel Duchi D’Aosta. In the evening there will be a group dinner in a local restaurant – wine, water and coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 2: Thursday 14 October – We begin at Borgo Teresiano, an ensemble of neoclassical spaces and buildings developed during the rule of the Empress Maria Teresa. After a coffee break, we visit the Cathedral of San Giusto and the nearby Citadel, both dominating the city from their lofty hill-side perch. Nearby, there is also the small, very interesting Archaeological Museum, where there is a memorial to the founder of art history, the eighteenth-century scholar J J Winckelmann, tragically murdered in Trieste in 1768. After lunch (not included) we drive the short distance along the coast to Castello di Miramare, the seaside villa home of the ill-fated Emperor of Mexico, Maximilian of Habsburg. We return to Trieste where the evening will be free.

Day 3: Friday 15 October – Our half day focuses on two nineteenth century ‘house-museum’ collections. The Sartorio Museum displays the paintings and decorative arts of one of Trieste’s leading families, including works by G.B Tiepolo and Venetian artists working on the Istrian Peninsula. Likewise, the Museo Revoltella is the most important collection in the city, amassed by the Trieste businessman, Baron Revoltella. Highlights include his sumptuous apartment and a modern art gallery with works from the last century. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the afternoon will be free for private explorations. Later in the evening we meet for our group dinner.

Day 4: Saturday 16 October – We make a leisurely mid-morning departure from Trieste and drive into Slovenia to the Vipava Valley north of Trieste, where we have lunch in a nationally renowned Michelin-starred restaurant. Following a memorable meal, we continue to the Slovene Littoral to the coastal resort town of Portoroz at the top of the Istrian Peninsula, arriving at the 5* Hotel Kempinski late-afternoon. The evening will be free.

Day.5: Sunday 17 October – We begin two days exploring Istria.  We drive to neighbouring Piran. Five centuries of Venetian rule have left an indelible mark on this delightful ‘mini-Venice’ perched on a partially walled spur of land. Our walk through the town will include a visit to the small Maritime Museum and the panoramic, baroque Cathedral of St George. After a coffee break, we drive into Croatia and inland to Motovun. This fortified panoramic hilltop town came under Venetian control in 1278, acting as a border check overlooking the strategic Mirna Valley below. We pause for a group lunch in the village after which we descend into the surrounding valley, blanketed with vineyards, one of which we shall visit for a visit and wine-tasting. We return to Portoroz where the evening will be free.

Day 6: Monday 18 October – We travel to the tip of Istria to visit its largest city, Pula. Raised to the status of a Roman colonia in 46 AD, Pula’s lasting architectural legacy is reflected in an array of ancient Roman buildings including some well-preserved Roman gates, the Temple of Augustus and Pula’s Amphitheatre, one of the finest arenas in the Roman world. Following lunch (not included), we return to Portoroz via the small coastal town of Porec. In 553 AD Bishop Euphrasius built an extensive ecclesiastical complex including a Basilica which we shall visit. It contains some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the Balkans. Later in the evening we have our final group dinner in our hotel.

Day 7: Tuesday 19 October – After a leisurely breakfast, we make our return journey back into Italy and drive to Venice Airport for our afternoon flight to London Heathrow.

Price £3485 per person (2 sharing a room) Without flights £3285pp  Deposit £475pp Single Supplement £695 (Double for Sole Use)

Hotels

3 nights with breakfast at the 5* Grand Hotel Duchi D’Aosta Trieste – DSU Deluxe Room/ 2 sharing - Superior Room

3 nights inc breakfast 5* Hotel Kempinski Palace, Portoroz – DSU Classic Room/ 2 sharing - Superior Room (All Kempinski rooms have king-sized beds, baths and balconies with seating)

Flights British Airways

            Outward:  BA602 Depart London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 1155, arrive Venice 1505

            Return:     BA603 Depart Venice 1445 arrive London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 1605

Price includes 3 dinners & 2 lunches with water, wine & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, services of James Hill and our local guide in Pula and Porec.

Not included, 3 dinners and 4 lunches. Travel to and from Heathrow.

Please note our tours generally involve a significant amount of standing and walking, sometimes across uneven ground, or over cobbled streets, or up and down steps and inclines. We do not have an upper age limit for participants, but we require you to have a level of fitness which does not affect other participants' enjoyment of the tour. Please also note that many palaces, gardens, villas, museums and galleries have limited seating and perhaps do not have lifts. You should be able to walk at a reasonable pace and/or stand for at least twenty minutes without aid or requiring a rest. If you are in any doubt, please do contact us for advice on the tour’s suitability for you.