Walking the Napoleonic Walk

Sunshine and half tans overlooking the Gulf of Trieste

30th April 2016

For a while we have been wanting to be more phisically active on our trips, and one of the things we definitely want to try is hiking. Neither of us has any experience with it, so we decided to start nice and easy. Since the Netherlands is as flat as a pancake, Trieste seemed to have a much more interesting geography for us to appreciate.

We decided to do the Napoleonic Walk, a short walk of around 7 kilometers, connecting the village of Opicina to the village of Prosecco. The path is so called because, according to legend, it was created by Napoleon's troops. It's a short and easy route, sheltered from the strong bora and bathed by sunshine, so it was perfect for a sunny spring day.

We started the day by taking the tram from Piazza Oberdan in Trieste. Apparently, the car number 411 on that line is the oldest running tram car in Europe, built in 1902. We later found out that it runs only occasionally, as a museum car. We got the 406 instead, which was packed with tourists and locals, all enjoying the sunny day.

The way up is interesting: just before the hilly segment starts, the tram stops and starts going backwards. It is then pushed by a cable tractor all the way to the Obelisco station, where the walk starts.

Once you get to the obelisk, there's a small map pointing to three different routes. The main one, which is paved, and two other ones that go through the woods. We chose to stay in the main one, mainly because we lacked any kind of sports shoes. It also was the most scenic one, as you can see Triste and the Adriatic in the distance the whole time.

Because the walk is so short, we were not afraid to step all the time to take pictures and for Martina to strike yoga poses. It's also fun to watch all the locals (and tourists) walking, running and mountain biking up and down.

Towards the end of the walk, the woods open up and are replaced by high limestone rocks. You get a better view of the sea, and a wider view of the center of Trieste: you can see all the way to the Piazza Unità d'Italia. The rocks are very popular with free climbers, and we saw a bunch of them up there. It might or might not have inspired Julio to take climbing lessons. You can also see the Miramare castle in the distance.

By the end of the walk you can also choose to come back through the path in the woods and visit the Tempio Mariano del Monte Grisa, which looks very interesting from the pictures, but our lack of decent shoes prevented us from going there.

We definitely had a good time, and we'll surely come back for the rest of the path and the temple. It's a nice way to spend a day outside either way. But do bring your sunscreen. Trust us on that one.