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Rainer Maria Rilke (Prague 1875- Montreux 1926) is considered as a leading poet in German language. Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis invited him to the castle of Duino, located on the white cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. Rilke made several stays in Duino from 1910 and 1914 (his longest one was in  winter 1911-12), where he wrote two of his “Duino Elegies” on a table on a balcony facing the sea.

The residence of Princes Della Torre e Tasso (Thurn und Taxis) set in a wonderful landscape overlooking the sea, the castle of Duino can be visited, with its powerful watchtower, a terraced park on the cliffs and an elegant garden giving access to a bunker built by the German army in 1943 to defend Sistiana bay against a possible landing by the Allied forces. From the bastions and the 14th century tower, you’ll spot the ruins of an older fortress from the 10th century, built on an impregnable rock in the middle of the sea in front of the castle. The prestigious building of Duino castle features a self-bearing spiral staircase designed by Andrea Palladio and is home to precious documents reporting about the story of the family and their illustrious guests, including the Italian poet GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIO, who visited the castle with actress Eleonora Duse in 1902, and the restless Bohemian poet RAINER MARIA RILKE, who sojourned here as a guest of his friend Marie von Thurm und Taxis. Their long affectionate friendship is witnessed by over 400 letters now held in the castle. To him is dedicated a panoramic path you can reach both from the coastal road near Sistiana and from the centre of Duino. Immersed in one of the most beautiful natural landscapes of the region, the path makes a short walk (less than 2 km long) to enjoy wonderful views overlooking the sea and several diverse Karstic phenomena.