The German and Slovenian names of this town reflect its multinational heritage. 
    The Slovene influence is evident in the cuisine, heavier than your usual Italian fare. I had a soup called "jota"--beans with vegetables, meat and a bit of herbs. The main course was gnocchi - Italian enough - with mushrooms and sausage, a bit on the greasy side, just like the always over-indulgent Slavs like it. And a mezzo - 'half' (liter) - of red wine.

The Germanic influence is due to its time as part of the Habsburg Empire--like Sarajevo, Vienna and other cities, it is commemorating the events that led to WWI. 
    After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, the couple's bodies were transported from the Balkans to Trieste (and from there by train to Vienna). At right, a display on the Piazza Unità d'Italia (incidentally, the largest sea-front square in Europe) with photos of the funeral entourage. Although most Triestini did not sypmathize with Austrian rule, they still mourned for the slain couple. The architecture on the square, with its cream-colored facades, really does look more like Vienna than Rome or Florence.

More pics to come in the Gallery section!

It's been a busy, long-awaited day for me--and nothing has turned out as expected. Partly because preparations for the centennial have not been well coordinated--perhaps because, while everyone considers the centennial worth commemorating, there are so many different takes on it--should we blame the assassin for WWI, or the Austrians, the Germans? Peace groups have arranged some events, the city of Sarajevo others, the East-West forum here in Sarajevo others. Karl von Habsburg, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian dynasty, spoke briefly last night from the bridge closest to the spot of the assassination--and that (as best I've been able to determine) amidst various sound checks for tonight's musical performances at the Latin Bridge. In the picture at left, a member of a peace organization places a wreath at the spot from which Gavrilo Princip fired the fatal shots.
    A hundred or so visitors gathered at the site of the assassination around 10 AM, the approximate time of the assassination, to...? No ceremony, but there was a car identical to the one used by Francis Ferdinand and his wife on their visit. The actual vehicle is in the Historical Museum in Vienna. A number of bystanders complained that that one should have been on display; other commented that Vienna no longer has much love for the Habsburgs and that the arrangements would have been difficult and expensive--so it goes for controversial history. So, as if expecting ceremonies that were never in the plans, people stood around and improvised, taking selfies in front of the car and commenting on the lack of organization. A young couple appeared as the archduke and his wife (below) while a man in a modern Austrian uniform stood on the riding board as if protecting them with his body (somewhat true to history).

Tomorrow, June 28, will be the hundredth anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Disagreement among Bosnians and Serbs about how to commemorate the event (the latter tend to regard the assassin, Gavrilo Princip, as a hero) has discouraged participation from major heads of state, who prefer to avoid the controversy. Although I've been planning this trip for over a year, I've found it difficult to get specific information on centennial events.

Now that I'm here, I can offer something in the way of preparations. Hence, the following pics...