Miramare Castle in Trieste

Located in an enchanting position, overlooking the sea, the Miramare Castle is one of the places symbolic of the city of Trieste. A visit to this splendid structure, which is just 8 km from the city centre, offers the possibility of exploring the surrounding area and admiring the stretch of coast bathed by crystal clear waters, which extends up to the promontory of Grignano, in a truly suggestive scenario.

The History

The construction of the building, commissioned to the engineer Carl Junker, took place between 1856 and 1860 on the request of Maximilian of Habsburg-Lorraine, Archduke of Austria and his wife, Archduchess Charlotte of Belgium. Here the couple lived a happy time and had the opportunity to devote themselves to their favourite activities: botany, painting and music, passions that still permeate the rooms and the park of the castle. The two floors of the structure are finely decorated: the couple's apartments are on the ground floor, intimate rooms finished in a neo-Gothic style, while on the first floor, equipped with windows that open onto the splendid views of the Gulf of Trieste, the familiar harmony of the private rooms leads on to the frescoes in the rooms used for representative meetings.

What to do at the Miramare Museum and Park

Since 1955, Miramare castle has been part of the vast artistic heritage of the Italian state and is managed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, which has set up a wonderful museum here. Over 20 rooms preserve numerous objects that belonged to the couple, as well as a collection of furniture, paintings, ceramics, statues and fabrics from different parts of the world. Among the areas that can be visited, we find the private rooms of the Archduke and his wife, the stupendous throne room and the music room, in which Carlotta loved to exercise her passion for the piano.

The park surrounding Miramare Castle is also worth a visit: 22 hectares originally almost completely devoid of vegetation and transformed by Maximilian of Habsburg-Lorraine's passion for plants into an exotic garden of rational layout where they find their home, among the others, cedars of Lebanon, Spanish spruces and Mexican cypresses. The place, designed to allow the courts of the time to enjoy elegant walks, was often opened by the Archduke to the people who could admire the splendid vegetation.

Times and ticket prices

Miramare Castle is easily reached from the centre of Trieste either by car and by public transport. It is open every day, except 25/12 and the first of the year, from 9.00 to 19.00. The entrance ticket, 12 euros full price and 2 euros reduced for young people, allows the visit through an established itinerary on both plans of the structure. Entrance to the park, with the exception of the days when the museum is closed, is free from 8.00 am on all days of the year: closing times vary according to the season.

 

Book a flight to Trieste by selecting the Air Dolomiti offers and get ready to live the unique experience of a visit to Miramare Castle.