Travel literature / Crime novels by Veit Heinichen

The perfect vacation reading for Trieste: The detective stories with Commissario Proteo Laurenti

The city of Trieste is a beauty almost undiscovered by foreign tourists, with imposing squares, grand palaces, many churches and a unique waterfront. A comparison with nearby Venice would perhaps be a bit presumptuous, but Trieste is definitely worth seeing - and unlike Venice, it is not overcrowded at any time of the year! We ourselves would have probably left Trieste to the left, if this city had not been known to us for years through the very readable crime novels of the German author who lives in Trieste. Veit Heinichen would have grown close to my heart.

Since 2001, Veit Heinichen has had his main character Commissario Proteo Laurenti in Trieste and, along the way, introduces the reader to the uniqueness of Trieste and its surroundings. The detective novels of Veit Heinichen are therefore a perfect travel preparation or vacation reading: The attentive reader will discover numerous plot locations from the Commissario Laurenti detective novels on our circular tour...

For all budding Veit Heinichen fans we have a Overview of all Proteo Laurenti thrillers created.

Veit Heinichen: The crime novels with Commissario Laurenti are set in Trieste

Culture and history of the province of Trieste

Almost next to each other: The Catholic Church of Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Trieste

Italian, Austrian, Slovenian and Croatian influences

The province of Trieste is the smallest province in Italy in terms of area and consists of a narrow coastal strip, only 5 to 10 kilometers wide, which is almost completely surrounded by Slovenian territory. This geographical peripherality gives Trieste its special character to this day: Trieste is part of Italy, but it is more than just Italy!

Trieste was under Austrian rule for centuries and only became Italian at the end of the First World War. After the Second World War, things continued to be turbulent: Trieste was initially claimed by Yugoslavia, and in 1947 the Freia Territory of Trieste but then proclaimed a separate state. Trieste was the capital, but not for very long. Already in 1954, the buffer state was dissolved again and divided between Italy and the then Yugoslavia.

Culinary this eventful history is expressed in an exciting variety! Who is in Trieste only pizza and pasta, has missed something!

Sights along the hiking route

Trieste and its surroundings offer some interesting sights, which can be visited during the 5-day round trip:

  • At the end of Stage 1 or before the start of Stage 2: The Rilkeweg between Sistiana and Duino Castle is a walkway about 3 km long, named after the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, author of the Duino Elegies written at Dunio Castle).
  • At Stage 3: The Grotta Gigante - the largest cave in the world open to visitors, with a 100-meter-high hall (interior view on Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/fpQ1aFdBRbt)
  • At Stage 4: The Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia is the namesake for the white Lipizzaner horses and offers an extensive program for visitors, including horseback riding demonstrations. However, if you plan to visit here, you should bring a little more time and shorten stage 4 (e.g. by spending the night in the Hotel Maestoso directly at the stud farm)
  • At Stage 5 we automatically walk through the nature reserve Riserva Naturale della Val Rosandra

We recommend, after the round trip, to spend a few days in Trieste itself.

Lipizzaner on the pasture of the Lipica stud farm

Osmize

Osmize is the name for broom taverns on the Trieste Karst

What elsewhere is called Besenwirtschaft, Straußenwirtschaft or Heuriger is called around Trieste Osmiza (Italian plural: Osmize).

From the sound of the word you can already tell that it is an original Slovenian name that has been adopted into Italian. The farmers and winegrowers of the Trieste Karst offer as a Osmize for a few weeks a year offer their wine and some small items such as cheese and bread. In the province of Trieste there are approximately 50 Osmize, whose opening hours are spread throughout the year.

We recommend that you find out before the hike about the currently open Osmize to inform - these are listed under www.osmize.com listed. At www.osmize.com/mappa there is also a map view for easier orientation.