Prosecco, the village: a day above Trieste

Is Prosecco a real place in Italy?

Yes. Prosecco is a small village on the karst, the limestone plateau above the sea, inside the city limits of Trieste in northeast Italy.¹² It gave its name to the wine,³ and it sits at the far eastern edge of the Prosecco area. Most people who drink Prosecco have no idea it exists. You do now.

Where is the village of Prosecco?

About seven kilometres north-west of the centre of Trieste, on the edge of the plateau, with the Gulf of Trieste below and the white castle of Miramare on its point.⁴ It’s at the opposite end of the Prosecco area from the famous hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, which are more than 100 km to the west.

How to get to Prosecco from Trieste

• By bus. Lines 42 and 44 run from Piazza Oberdan in the centre of Trieste up to Prosecco.⁵⁶
• By car. A short drive up from the city onto the karst.
• On foot. The Strada Napoleonica, a walking path along the edge of the plateau from Opicina toward Prosecco, through the woods with the city, the sea and Miramare below you.⁷ The best view in the region.

What to see and do

• The view. From the edge of the village the whole gulf opens up: the city, the port, the castle.
• The terraces. Vines still grow here, on steep slopes and terraces between the karst and the sea, braving the rock and the bora.¹
• The osmize. Farm families open their doors for short spells to sell their own wine, cheese and cured meats. Look for the leafy branch and the red arrow.⁸
• Miramare. The white castle on its point below the village, with its park on the rocky headland.⁴⁹
• Trieste. Coffee, the big square on the sea, and the long afternoon. The village is the excuse; the city is the reward.

Everyone orders Prosecco. Almost nobody has stood in it.

On the plateau: a field guide

• The osmiza regulars. Know which farms are open this week before the arrow goes up. Follow them.
• The Sunday walkers. Up from the city on the Napoleonic road, stopping for the view, then for lunch.
• The wine pilgrim. Came to see where Prosecco began, expected the postcard hills, found the sea. Is not disappointed.
• The Triestini. Unbothered by any of it. They have the best coffee in Italy and know it.

Where are the famous Prosecco vineyards, then?

On the plains of the Veneto and Friuli,³ and the famous steep ones in the hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the province of Treviso.¹⁰ The wine left the village centuries ago and grew up in the west.³ The name stayed home. Is Prosecco a place or a grape? has the whole story.