Architectural splendour built on a rich fusion of Adriatic cultures

Hong Kong's unofficial chronicler, Jan Morris, nurses a particular fondness for Trieste, and devoted her final travel book to the Italian port city, which sits on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Morris was by no means the only literary star to be attracted by Trieste; over the years the city also hosted actor Richard Burton and Irish writer James Joyce. It is an quirky metropolis, blending Latin and Slav elements with ancient and modern cultures and architecture.

Largely built by the Austrians as the Hapsburg Empire's southern port, it lapsed into obscurity after the first world war and is only now coming to prominence once again.

Many of Trieste's visitors arrive aboard a cruise ship, pouring down the gangplank and making a beeline for the central Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia before marching up San Giusto hill to the cathedral of the same name. The hill is also home to the Castello, the remains of a 15th-century Venetian castle, which reopened last year after extensive renovation. The commanding view from the ramparts is more impressive than the castle's slightly fusty museum which is piled high with carpets, furniture and armour.

The cathedral is typical of Trieste's predilection for fusion, and was formed in the 14th century by knocking three adjoining churches into one, with a chaotic blending of Venetian, Byzantine and Gothic styles.

The road leading into town, via della Cattedrale, is one of the city's oldest, and the site of the well interpreted museum Museo Civico di Storia ed Arte, which is devoted to art and history in equal measure.