Trieste...probably my least favourite Italian city. Large, busy, hot and a little unkempt, we spent two nights here while we waited to catch our Ryanair flight to London. We stayed in an apartment at Residence San Marco which was described on its website as located an easy distance from the train station. It was not. Dale and I, weighed down with bags, puffed and sweated our way on foot through the muggy streets. By the time we had walked three or four blocks we realised we should have got a taxi from the station, but felt we had got far enough that we ought to persevere. At least when we arrived hot and bothered at our destination, we were greeted by a friendly Romanian and shown to our spacious one bedroom apartment which was well appointed with everything from a washing machine to a dishwasher.

Not having a car and unwilling to subject ourselves to the mystifying public transport system, we ruled out visiting the city's most popular attractions, such as the large cave system, the beach, and the concentration camp, which lay outside the city centre. Instead we explored the heart of Trieste on foot. While the chorus of church bells as we set off towards the waterfront was charming, it signified that it was Sunday which is still very much a day of rest in Trieste. Nothing was open. We walked through wide avenues of closed shops, restaurants and cafes, noticing that some of the buildings appeared to be permanently boarded up and that the public garden areas looked ragged and untended. Clumps of grass poked out between cracked paving stones, bits of rubbish swirled in the breeze, and a greasy slick of floating debris washed against the coastal walkway. We wondered whether the untidiness we saw is a symptom of Italy's economic woes.

There were of course many grand buildings to see, as well as statues, fountains, and another hilltop castle. But everything was very spread out and we didn't get a sense of the city's soul. Maybe we weren't in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, or maybe we were just unlucky not to discover the most vibrant quarter of Trieste, but whatever the reason, our whole Trieste experience was a little lack-lustre.