Sitting on a rocky outcrop 7km from town, Castello di Miramare is clearly visible from afar thanks to the whiteness of the karst marble from which it is made. The castle was built around 1855 when the Archduke, who also became Emperor of Mexico, together with his wife Charlotte of Saxony, daughter of the king of Belgium, decided to build a majestic residence overlooking the sea in the surroundings of the Friulian capital, precisely on the promontory of Grignano. The castle's décor reflects Maximilian's wanderlust and the various obsessions of the imperial age: a bedroom modelled to look like a frigate's cabin, ornate orientalist salons and a red silk- lined throne room. Upstairs, a suite of rooms used by the military hero Duke Amadeo of Aosta in the 1930s is also intact, furnished in the Italian Rationalist style. Maximilian was a keen botanist and the castle boasts 22 hectares of gardens, which burst with the color and scent of rare and exotic trees, more than 2,000 species of different plants from all over the world. Legend has it that Charlotte still wanders the park, calling the name of Maximilian. ** Comfortable walking shoes recommended. Depart: 3:00pm Return: 6:00pm Activity Price: Tour Prices and Registration will open on January, 15, 2024