Inside the Duino cliffs natural reserve, you can find the Rilke path. This trail goes from the beautiful Sistiana to the panoramic Duino, both of which are part of the Duino-Aurisina municipality in the province of Trieste.
It is a very easy path, suitable for the whole family: it’s a 1,7 km trail and, walking normally, it can be done in an hour and a half.
Dedicated to the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, the Rilke path was fundamental during the second world War; this is why you can even have access to an old bunker, which now serves as a panoramic terrace.
This is a truly pleasant path to walk, its peculiarity is that it’s located entirely overlooking the sea and, therefore, during the walk, you can breathe pure and fresh air and you can enjoy a view that takes your breath away.
We left the car in the parking of the ‘Collegio del Mondo Unito’ in Duino, next to the beginning of the path. It starts with a five minutes walk in a grove, ending overlooking the sea.
A peace of mind: the characteristic perfume of the sea combined with the one of the Mediterranean scrub, the intense blue of the Adriatic water which matches with the white cliffs of Duino that are painted in the typical autumn colors: everything is so dreamy.
As I said, the path is very simple, however it is better to wear trekking shoes; we had the Braies GTX for both men and women, perfect for one light walk like this. Despite being a beautiful autumn day, we knew it would be breezy, that’s why we also wore our favorite jackets: my unmissable 76 Unicum EVO and Giacomo’s Canazei Jacket, both capable of offering us the comfort and protection necessary during our adventure.
The path is a continuous “up and down” that gives access to various panoramic points where you can take beautiful photographs. You can frame the famous Duino castle surrounded by the autumn colors of the leaves or use it as a wonderful background for your pictures.
The path continues and, as you proceed, you begin to see Trieste, Portopiccolo and Sistiana, three excellences of our region.
We had never visited the karst until now and we are happy we did it. We can’t wait to continue to explore the area and who knows, in better times, even stop for lunch in one of the typical ‘Osmize’.
If you liked this article “The Rilke path: a beautiful and easy trail near Trieste”, have a look at “Wines from Italy. Our walk through the renowned hills of Savorgnano in Friuli Venezia Giulia” .
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