Oct 7, 2007

Weather in Trieste: The Bora

Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy: The Bora

Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy is a strange place where a lot is dependent on the weather. It is known by Italians (well, those that know the city is in Italy rather than Yugoslavia anyway) for the ferocious wind which occasionally whips across the Adriatic coastline. Called the Bora, this wind can get up to over 100km/h and when it hits, cafes and restaurants have to make certain that their chairs and tables are firmly fixed to the ground/ wall/ anything solid.

Debris from trees

I went there when it was windy – although by no means to Bora proportions – and it was a constant battle to stay upright. All manner of debris was flying from trees into my face and it was a pretty grim experience in the rain all told.

‘Beach’ of the Barcola Riviera

But one thing that wind does is blow clouds away, and there couldn’t have been a bigger contrast the next day. The skies were a clear blue, complementing the deep azure of the Adriatic Sea perfectly. The locals clearly appreciated – there was hardly a spare spot along the Barcola Riviera, the stretch of shoreline that passes for a beach in these parts. The dismal first impressions of the city were, ironically, blown away.