Trieste, Italy

Trieste, Italy is the city that occupies the tip of the Istrian peninsula where Italy, Slovenia, and the Adriatic converge — and its history as the main port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 300 years produced an architectural and cultural character unlike any other Italian city. The coffee culture (Trieste has more coffee shops per capita than any other European city and a distinct vocabulary — a 'caffè' is an espresso anywhere else in Italy but a macchiato in Trieste) is a symbol of the Central European influence that differentiates this city from the Italian mainstream. James Joyce wrote Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist in Trieste while teaching English; the Joycean topography is mapped and walkable. Miramare Castle (30 minutes by bus, sitting on a promontory above the Adriatic) is among the most dramatically situated castles in Europe. Trieste remains largely off the tourist circuit despite being easily accessible from Venice (2 hours by train).