Venice and Trieste Crochet Retreat

Venice is a city of timeless beauty and cultural wealth. Renowned for its intricate network of canals, stunning Renaissance and Gothic architecture, and rich history, Venice has been a significant centre of art, trade, and exploration for centuries. The city's unique landscape, built on more than 100 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon, is crisscrossed by canals and linked by an array of picturesque bridges. Experience iconic sights such as St. Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Rialto Bridge. Venice's enchanting atmosphere and enduring charm continue to captivate travellers from around the world.

We travel by coach to Tronchetto, from where we will board a boat that will take us to the centre of Venice. Once in Venice, we enjoy a guided city tour. Free afternoon in Venice to explore at your own pace, before returning to the hotel by boat and bus.

Check out of our hotel and travel by coach along the beautiful Adriatic coastline to Trieste.

Trieste is renowned for its elegant architecture, vibrant literary and coffeehouse traditions, and stunning seafront. Key attractions include the majestic Piazza Unità d'Italia, the historic Miramare Castle, and the bustling Canale Grande.

On arrival, we will meet with our local guide who will take us through the highlights of Trieste old town as well as the 19th-century Castello Miramare.

Miramare Castle was built between 1856-1860 by order of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximillian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, based on a design by Carl Junker. In 1850, at the age of eighteen, Maximilian came to Trieste with his brother and, immediately afterwards, he set off on a cruise toward the Near East. This journey confirmed his intention to sail and to get to know the world. In 1852 he was appointed an officer and in 1854 he became Commander in Chief of the Imperial Navy. He decided to move to Trieste and to have a home built facing the sea and surrounded by a park worthy of his name and rank. It is said that when the archduke was caught in a sudden storm in the Gulf, he took shelter in the little harbour of Grignano and he chose that bare rocky spur of limestone as the setting for his home. The castle is surrounded by 22 hectares of gardens.

During our tour, we will see Maximillian’s and Charlotte’s chambers, the guest rooms, and the Duke of Amedeo of Aosta's apartment with furnishings from the 1930s in the Rationalist style. All the rooms still feature the original furniture and ornaments dating back to the middle of the 19th century.

Afterwards, we continue to our hotel.

Today we enjoy our first full-day workshop with Lucy.

Today we enjoy our second full-day workshop with Lucy.

Our full day excursion takes us over the border into Croatia and up into the mountains of the Croatian Istria. Here we visit Motovun, one of the prettiest and most interesting walled hilltop towns in the region.

Continue to Pazin, where we’ll enjoy a lunch of traditional Istrian cuisine including ham, cheese, homemade pasta, truffles and desserts.

Return to Trieste via Groznjan, a pleasant Medieval hilltop town which is also known as the artists village, due to the number of galleries and studios that are based here. We’ll enjoy a stroll through the winding alleys, taking in the unique charm of the ancient stone houses before continuing back to Trieste.

Today we enjoy our final full-day workshop with Lucy.

This evening, we will dine together at a restaurant close to the hotel.