When Martin showed me, on the screen, an apartment in romantic villa on the hill, in Slovenian Lucija, I had no doubts. White painted house saddled into exotic garden with the swing overlooking the sea. This is it, the place to spend our last holiday of the year. The fact that pets were allowed there, was also the sign that our ‘family’ would be warmly welcomed. By the family you should imagine me, Martin and our cat Bety.

It took hardly five and a half hours driving to reach that pretty-little piece of coastline with salty air, spring-like weather even in late December, sun- faded colorful houses and pink sunsets above the sea. Close enough to the historical part of Piran and still in the safe distance from a bit too commercial part of Portoroz, villa in Lucija was exactly the perfect shelter for the three of us.

PIRAN

The town that is usually packed with tourists in summer, stays irresistibly charming during winter. Sunny afternoons can heat you in the rays of sun, at the terraces of the cafes, playing jazz. The restaurants serving our favorite fish soup are quite busy, too. Just enough to have a lively atmosphere, but not to the extent that would make you annoyed by long waiting for your meal.

I was told Piran is so small that it’s easy to walk around in an hour. It’s clearly so, only if you are not the type of person that needs to stop and appreciate every nice boat, house or a seagull on their way. If so, Piran is suddenly a place where you have something to discover for a lot longer than couple of days. Of course, if you expect pretty nooks and corners, rather than magnificent sightseeing here.

Our two trips to Italian Trieste, little over thirty minutes away, were certainly not a result of us being bored by the off-seasoned summer resort. It was purely our desire to visit some places I had saved to my Pinterest board quite some time ago.

Castello di Miramare

Castello di Miramare, these three words sound so sparkling, when they roll off the tongue, that they make you want to go there. Castle, standing on the peak of the rocky promontory of Grignano, in the Gulf of Trieste, is as majestic as you would imagine.

On our way there, I was worried about the quality of views we are going to have there, since Trieste was immersed in the mist. However, the castle seems to be the world of its own, independent from the climate around. Therefore, when we reached the cliff, the mist was gone, and we experienced Castello di Miramare at its best.

We hardly explored the seashore park of more than 20 thousands square meters . I was too hypnotized just by the view of the high arcade terrace, to the endless azure Adriatic Sea. It stimulates fantasies from which you simply don’t want to come back.

Only the chilly air finally reminded us that it was still the winter time. It’s getting dark so we finally return to the cozy villa in Lucija, with impatient Bety, waiting at the window and staring to the distant lights.

© Creative direction and editing: DANIELA RIFAI  Photos: DANIELA RIFAI with a great assistance of MARTIN JESNY