Along the Italian-Slovenian Border

We will depart from Szeged in the early morning of 7 May 2027 (Friday). Around midday, we will arrive in Trieste, a beautiful city on the Adriatic coast. Before exploring the Italian city, we will visit the magnificent Miramare Castle, situated right on the seafront. Built in the Romantic style in the 19th century, the castle was commissioned by Archduke Maximilian of Austria for himself and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. Designed by Carl Junker, it was constructed between 1856 and 1860 using white Istrian marble. The extensive 22-hectare coastal park was designed by Maximilian himself. After visiting the castle and exploring its beautiful gardens, we will discover Trieste, a city of approximately 200,000 inhabitants with a history of settlement dating back to ancient times. The Roman theatre dates back to the era of Emperor Trajan. On the hill overlooking Trieste stands the early Christian Cathedral of San Giusto, whose origins date to the 5th century. The city centre, stretching along the seafront, evokes the elegant atmosphere of the Belle Époque. After some free time, we will travel to our accommodation, where a delicious dinner awaits us.

After breakfast, we will board our coach and head up to the Kolovrat Ridge, an important site associated with the Battle of Caporetto. Here, we will walk along the defensive line built by the Italian army, parts of which have been transformed into an open-air museum. The exhibits include command observation posts, machine-gun and artillery positions, caverns and an extensive network of trenches. We will then visit the Kobarid Museum, which received the European Museum of the Year Award in 1993. The museum tells the story of the two-and-a-half years of fighting along the Upper Isonzo River, with particular emphasis on the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, widely known as the Battle of Caporetto. There will be free time for lunch before we cross Napoleon’s Bridge and walk to the breathtaking Kozjak Waterfall. The trail begins with steps leading downhill, continues across a suspension bridge and winds through woodland. As we follow narrow wooden bridges deeper between towering rock walls, the gorge gradually closes in around us. We will then enter a natural cavern to discover the hidden waterfall. Over thousands of years, the cascading water has carved a narrow opening into the cave’s ceiling, allowing shafts of light to filter inside and illuminate the water plunging 15 metres below. In the evening, we will return to our accommodation for dinner.

After breakfast and packing our belongings, we will travel by coach to Italy, to the historically significant Doberdò area, one of the major battlefields of the First World War. We will explore Monte San Michele (Mount San Michele), a 275-metre-high strategic position that played a crucial role in defending the bridgehead established at Gorizia. Today, visitors can see restored military structures from the battlefield. The area has been placed under protection and designated as a memorial park. As we descend from the hill, we will visit the memorial to the 4th Honvéd Infantry Regiment from Oradea, see the former site of the famous Doberdò tree, and explore the Great War Museum in San Martino del Carso. There, we will meet local residents who preserve and protect the Hungarian historical heritage of the region. The Austro-Hungarian 46th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Szeged Regiment, served in the vicinity of the village, and we will visit its former command headquarters as well. We will then visit one of the most frequently visited Doberdò memorial sites by Hungarians: the chapel in Visintini. Hungarian soldiers began building it during the war in memory of their comrades buried in the cemetery. The inauguration was planned for the autumn of 1918, but construction was halted when the plateau was evacuated in August 1916. The chapel was eventually restored through Hungarian-Italian cooperation and consecrated on 30 May 2009 in an ecumenical ceremony attended by Hungarian President László Sólyom. To conclude the day, we will visit the Austro-Hungarian cemetery in nearby Fogliano, where 14,550 Austro-Hungarian soldiers are buried. Their remains were transferred here from abandoned military cemeteries throughout the surrounding area. In 2014, Pope Francis visited the cemetery alone and prayed for the fallen soldiers.