Business Traveler, Dec/Jan 2021
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 3 1 LI T TLE I TALY E ach time we rounded a blind corner on the Strada Costiera the spectacular coastal road that winds around the Gulf of Trieste where sharp cliffs drop into the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea our driver would sound his horn three times For good luck he told us a tradition of the Triestini community in this northeastern enclave of Italy Little did we know as we took in the vista that just a few months later that luck would run out Initially the European epicenter of COVID 19 Italy has tragically seen more than 37000 deaths though the highest number of cases were located in the northern region of Lombardy miles from Trieste Diligently following a strict early lockdown and subsequent contact tracing and safety measures directed by health authorities the country has bounced back before its neighbors opening up in May although the rate of new COVID 19 infections has seen a spike this fall and at press time the government has imposed a second wave of stricter measures in some regions and the prospect of another nationwide lockdown looms large Nonetheless the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in which Trieste is nestled has a plan in place to tempt visitors back whenever they can come and in that it will be aided by its picturesque setting and rich cultural heritage Describing this cosmopolitan area merely as Italian would be doing it a disservice Bordered by Austria to the north Slovenia to the east and Italys Veneto region to the west it is steeped in the traditions of its neighbors Trieste as its capital has been fought over for centuries once part of the Habsburg Empire it was handed to Italy in 1918 subsequently occupied by Germany during the Second World War and then divided between Britain The lesser known northeastern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia boasts unspoiled vistas and sail friendly waters b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m D E S T I N AT I O N S
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