Gotta say that Trieste was not high on my list of places to visit. However Lady B was fascinated by the history of a place which had been influenced by a wide range of cultures and rulers. Throughout history it has been influenced by its location at the crossroads ofLatin, Slavic, and Germanic cultures. I thought it might be like Birmingham by the sea but in Italy.
I was proved very very wrong. We had a great time. Ok, let’s forget the second rate camp site, the City was terrific. There’s a genuine big city feel about Trieste. Big solid affluent belle epoque buildings around some large public open spaces. 
Travelling into Trieste was an experience on the tram which for part of the journey becomes a funicular ( look it up). A short walk brought us to Piazza Unita d’Italia, a grand piazza which runs all the way down to the sea. It is overlooked by a number of magnificent formal buildings. 
Going further east you begin to get into the older City with jostling streets and a warren of passages. We strayed off the beaten track up some near vertical back alleys and stumbled 
on a tranquil garden overlooking old Trieste. Further up the hill was St. Justus Cathedral. Symbol of Italian Trieste during the Risorgimento. Named after the city’s Patron, St. Justus. This church dates back to 1320: its interiors are decorated by beautiful Byzantine mosaics.
Sitting outside the Cafe de Teatro Verdi we succumbed to the 
Italian habit of relaxing with an Aperol spritzer. Then the “very best gluten free pizza ever”. We were feeling pretty good. Even though the tram had broken down and the replacement bus didn’t materialise. We caught a taxi up the hill and half way up we spotted a wild boar trotting along the verge! I’ve never seen one of those in Birmingham.