Miramare Castle, Trieste, Italy

When I was little I loved to watch the movies of Princess Sissi, I was fascinated by her.

When I moved to Italy, of course I needed to go and visit the castle were Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Queen of Hungary, nicknamed ‘Sisi’, stayed so many times.

Elisabeth was obsessively concerned with maintaining her youthful figure and beauty, which were already legendary during her life. She was reported to be obsessively achievement-oriented and almost compulsively perfectionistic in her attitudes. Her emotional well-being was dependent on her own beauty and image. Elisabeth had been the Empress of Austria for 44 years.

Miramare Castle located at the gates of the city, is a dream castle standing on the cliffs over the sea. The castle was built by order of the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, Maximilian, who reigns as emperor in Mexico beginning in 1864 but  is eventually executed there in 1867. Inside the castle, there is much evidence that Franz Joseph and Elisabeth visited here. Between 1869 and 1896, the Empress Elizabeth is recorded as having stayed here on at least fourteen occasions. The castle with a white limestone facade is an extremely well-maintained historical site with more than 20 rooms designed in the fashion of romantic historicism. All the rooms still feature the original furnishings, ornaments, furniture and objects dating back to the middle of the 19th century.  The castle’s grounds include an extensive cliff and seashore park of 22 hectares (54 acres) designed by the archduke.

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Photo credit: Popsicle Society-Miramare Castle, Trieste, Italy
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Photo credit: Popsicle Society-Miramare Castle, Trieste, Italy
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Photo credit: Popsicle Society-Miramare Castle, Trieste, Italy

 

 

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