Tour description:

This time we will drive from the railway station in Sežana to Sesljan (Sistiana), more precisely to Mali Pristan (Portopiccolo), from where we will start our hike. The route will first lead us along a well-maintained walkway past the beaches and entertainment facilities next to them, all of which only serve the five-star tourist resort.

But when the slope above the coast gets so close to the sea that there is only room for the wild beaches of undemanding bathers, the walking path moves along the edge of the beach, rises slightly from time to time and then descends again, but for quite some time it keeps us in touch with the wonderful views of the cliffs by Devin Castle and those from Rilke’s promenade and further to the Gradež (Grado) dunes. On the other side, the silhouettes of Trieste and the Miramare Castle in front of it are occasionally drawn. As we will get closer to the “quarry” Nabrežina, the vertical rocks will close the path by the beach, so we will have climb to the road.

We only stay there for a short time, as we soon meet an abandoned road that takes us past Marina Nabrežina (Aurisina) to the path towards the beach “Pri čupah”, which for centuries served as a harbor for anglers from Nabrežina, but today bathers more often use it.

From there on, the Riibiška (anglers) path leads us down many steps – a connection along which the anglers of the riverbank used to walk daily to their homes, located more than 100 meters higher. The ascent will reward us with wonderful views. The path along the edge of the karst plateau is wide and pleasant for walking, allowing us to enjoy different views of the sea, the Gulf of Trieste and the Friuli plain all the way to the peaks of the Dolomites.

It brings us to the village of Križ (Santa Croce), where we will end our hike in the Fishing Museum, where the descendants of local anglers have collected and exhibited items from the centuries-old tradition of fishing. We will end the hike on the viewing terrace with a beautiful view of the Bay of Trieste (and further…), which combines the Fishing Museum with the Cultural House of the Slovenian inhabitants.

The ones, who will still have a lot of energy at the end of the trip, will have the unique opportunity to descend by the countless stairs to the sea and the port of the anglers.

.Overall Tour Level::

Irena Hlede is an architect by her profession, but she has worked in the fields of graphic design, journalism and sustainable mobility as well. It was engaged in many sports activities, from sailing to skiing or badminton, but the common thread throughout remains cycling. She regularly participates in the non-governmental organization Slovenska kolesarska mreža (Slovenian Cyclists network) as well as with the European Cycling Federation ECF, lectures on cycling and remains loyal to long-distance cycling. In this field, she completed several trainings – among others for the Assessor under the scheme “Cycle Friendly Employer”, Development of Mobility Plans and for the EuroVelo Route Inspector. She obtained the title and knowledge of a tourist guide at the national level, too, and is the founder and owner of the travel agency GremoZeleno – GoGreenWay. In addition to the in the university obtained areas of architecture and art, she is also keenly interested in ethnology, geography and history with an emphasis on everything related to the local tradition, especially some less known areas, such as the indigenous religion and the people who followed it. She also researches many “borderline” skills, such as dowsing or geomancy. It is a convinced environmentalist and an opponent of violence and wars in general.

She speaks English and French and, of course, Croatian and Serbian.