Description

This is one of the most picturesque spots in the Gulf of Trieste and of the whole Adriatic, overlooking the sea on the karst cliff. Its fame is also linked to the probable presence of Dante and the visit in the early twentieth century, of Rainer Maria Rilke, who wrote the Duino Elegies here. The first fortress – the Old Castle – of which only the ruins survive, apparently dates back to the tenth century, and was built partly of white stone from Aurisina and partly into the rock in an impregnable position. In 1389, a larger castle was built and is now the historical private residence of the Princes von Thurn und Taxis.