Da Gorizia a Sistiana sul Kras - ritorno in treno

In the roster of tours I love to do, there is this journey from Gorizia to Sistiana/Portopiccolo, with return by train: the mileage is not exasperating and on arrival one still has the strength to indulge in a few dips and swims in the sea overlooking the bay of Sistiana or from the refined beaches of Portopiccolo, without the worry of the return journey, which will be effortless (except for the short climb to the train station of Sistiana Visogliano). Trains are quite frequent and equipped with special carriages to accommodate our two-wheelers.

I have placed the start near the train station in Gorizia, where we will arrive on the way back, so after passing through the hamlet of Sant'Andrea, through dirt roads we will first touch Savogna d'Isonzo and then aim for Merna, crossing the "narrow bridge," a pedestrian walkway over an irrigation canal right on the border between Italy and Slovenia, a town we will visit for quite a few miles.

In Merna we will attack the Mirem Climb, a dirt ascent now surrounded by a desolate heath where once grew a lush forest reduced to ashes by some pyromaniac thug, then we will skirt the Nad Logem and finally, on the Karst plateau, take advantage of the asphalt road for a short stretch.

Having passed through the village of Opatje Selo (Opacchiasella) we will take a series of dirt roads that with a steady ascent will take us up to Sela na Krasu (Saddle of the Trenches): during World War I this little village was totally razed to the ground by the fierce fighting of the 11th battle on the Isonzo; its subsequent postwar reconstruction was carried out under the directives of the Gorizian architect Max Fabiani.

Leaving the little village we continue the ascent for a while skirting the edge of the plateau, then enjoy a short descent that takes us into the valley of Brestovica, and then returning to Italy we will begin the ascent to Mount Sambuco, then descend first to Ceroglie and Visogliano, finally making the few hairpin bends (downhill) that lead us to the bay of Sistiana and the extra-luxury complex of Portopiccolo.

Rested, refreshed and perhaps after a nice swim we will go back up the hairpin bends and follow the signs to the Sistiana-Visogliano train station where we will take the train home.