SHARRYLAND
Miramare Castle
"O Miramar to thy white towers come the clouds" (Carducci).
Where is
What it is and where it is
"O Miramar a le tue bianche torri vengon le nubi" (Carducci) On a splendid promontory of white karst rock just a few kilometers from the center of Trieste stands Miramare Castle, a 19th-century building in eclectic style commissioned by Maximilian of Habsburg, archduke of Austria and brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, for himself and his wife Charlotte of Belgium. The building overlooking the sea is surrounded by a magnificent park of no less than 22 hectares, with areas set aside for woodland, following the romantic dictates of the English garden, and areas geometrically arranged in the taste of the Italian garden.
Why it is special
The view from the terrace is absolutely enchanting: the viewer is immersed among the blue of the sea, the green of the park, and the white of the karst stone and is enraptured. The extraordinary fact is that the park and the Castle, in all their magnificence, stand on land that was barren and desolate at the time of purchase. It was the ceaseless work of gardeners and botanists that created the spectacle we can admire today.
Don't miss
TheCastle's interiors (more than 20 rooms) are worth a visit for the luxurious original furnishings, precious tapestries and inlaid ceilings. Among the most interesting rooms are the Novara Room, Maximilian's study reminiscent of the frigate Novara's cabin, and the Throne Room, immense and majestic with its purple-colored walls and wooden arched ceiling. The attentive visitor will also notice all along the way the recurring presence of the pineapple motif : as decorations on chandeliers, inlays on the walls, embroidery on upholstery. It was Maximilian himself who requested this leitmotif, as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.
A bit of history
The laying of the foundation stone took place in March 1856. Maximilian of Habsburg and Charlotte settled there in 1860, when construction was not yet completed. Maximilian received the post of governor of Lombardy-Venetia in 1857, but he never quite succeeded in winning the hearts of the Italians. When, in 1864, a Mexican delegation came to Miramare to offer him the crown of their country in turmoil, Maximilian was charmed and became Emperor of Mexico. But once he arrived in Latin America his allies withdrew and treacherously he was handed over to the rebels who shot him at Queretaro on June 19, 1867.
Trivia
An ominous legend accompanies the couple's sad fate. Maximilian's death drove Charlotte to madness and an untimely death. Shortly before taking her last breath, the legend says, Charlotte put a curse on all crowned heads and military leaders who would stay at least one night in the castle of Miramare: she wished them a violent death far from their homeland and affections, as had happened to her beloved husband. And history seems to confirm the legend: many famous people who stayed in Miramare died in tragic circumstances. The most famous is surely Princess Sissi.
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