This is a pic of the Castello di sotto.  It should be with the other pics of the same subject.  Somehow pics move around and I can't get them back with other pics of the same subject.

 Before we left Palmanova J wanted to see the gates.  The city was built like a 9 pointed star for defensive purposes and there are gates at 120 degrees radiating from the center plaza.  This is the cividalae gate.  The city was started in the late 1500s and until the church tower was built in the late 1800s nothing of the town could be seen from the outside.

This is the inside of one of the gates.  There was about 100' between the inner and outer gate.     

This is a picture of the partial layout of the city. 

This the Udine gate

On the bike trail leaving Palmanova and going thru one of the fortifications.

Arriving at Castello di Sotto.  There were 2 castles built here, the upper and the lower

Garden at Castello di Sotto

Biker waiting in the shade for J to come back from exploring the 2 castles

Romans ruins along the trail to Aquileia. 

Tower  at the plaza of the Church of Aquileia.  The smaller column has a bronze of Romulus and Remus being suckled by a wolf

We took an alternate route to the town of Grado.  This was our first actual time getting close to the Adriatic.  There was a 4 k causeway to get to the town, thena couple of k of town and then back to riding along canals and fields.  

 On the way we ran into fellow travelers that were going in the wrong direction.  They rode with us to Malfacone where we stopped and had a beer.  When we were finished 2 more bikers showed up and we rode the rest of the way to Trieste together.

Outside of Trieste is the castle Miramare.   J wanted to see it so we made a small side trip.   The castle was built in 1856 to 1860 for the Emperor Maximilian and his wife Charlotte of Belgium.  While we were here the 6 of us had another beer at the café.

Miramare

 Marimare

Johanna testing the Adriatic waters.  It was nice

 and warm

We are standing in the Piazza Grande in Trieste looking at our maps so we can find our hotel.  The hotel was about 2 k away thru various city streets.  The street signs are on the sides of building and sometimes 30 feet off the ground and hard to find.  Plus on a straight street it may have a different name for each block.   The street our hotel was on was like that.  We finally found the hotel a 2030.  It had been a long day with over 80k ridden when you add in the side trips.



This is the moat that surrounded the city.  This pic should also be at the top of the post with the notes about Palmanova.  This is why I'm not posting as much.  I still trying to figure out how to manipulate the pictures that seem to end up in the wrong places.  So far that hasn't worked out.