Spring at the Castle

Spring opens at Duino Castle

When winter gives way to the first warmth, Duino Castle – a manor perched above the sea, nestled in the Karst landscape – once again fills with colours, music, and creativity. This is Spring at the Castle, the event organized by Circolo Duinate in the municipality of Duino Aurisina (province of Trieste) which, for seventeen editions, has accompanied the arrival of the beautiful season with a four-month calendar, from March to June.

A weekend at the heart of the event

The highlight is the weekend at the end of March, when the castle and its gardens host the 'Ex Tempore d'arte': around fifty local, national, and international artists, including professionals and students, paint live outdoors, in front of visitors who can thus observe the creative process up close. This core event is complemented by a rich programme of concerts, theatrical readings, workshops, flower and plant markets, creative crafts, and local food products.

Art, landscape, and traditions

Spring at the Castle is not confined to the village of Duino; the artworks and events also extend to Monfalcone and Sgonico, while in Trieste, the exhibition "Giovani Visioni" dedicated to young artists comes to life. The event blends various forms of expression – from visual arts to music, from theatre to crafts, as well as popular traditions and food and wine – and offers experiences such as visits to the evocative Grotta del Mitreo (Mitreo Cave) and the "Arte in Osmiza" project, which brings art into the typical Karst farmsteads.

An intergenerational celebration

Among the most beautiful aspects of the event is the involvement of all ages: students from the Rilke Comprehensive Institute act as guides at the castle, the University of the Third Age organizes readings and workshops, while children's shows and family activities complete the offering. The result is a widespread celebration that tells the multicultural soul of this corner of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where Italian and Slovenian have always intertwined.