Sentiero Rilke

The Sentiero Rilke follows the crest of the Duino cliffs between the castle village and the bay of Sistiana, above the Adriatic and white limestone. It bears the name of Rainer Maria Rilke, who walked these heights in the early twentieth century.

Why it matters

The trail crosses Mediterranean scrub and limestone cliffs formed from the shells of marine organisms on an ancient seabed. Rilke walked the cliffs in 1911–12; the landscape is associated with the opening of his Duino Elegies. Inaugurated in 1987, the trail lies within the Riserva Naturale Regionale delle Falesie di Duino.

What to notice

The cliffs overlook the Gulf of Trieste, from the Isonzo mouth toward Punta Salvore in Croatia. Remains of military posts reflect the borderland's fortification through two world wars. Rain has carved channels known as karren into the pale limestone, while crevices support Mediterranean and Central European species. The Dama Bianca, a sea-worn rock, is associated with a local legend. At the Sistiana end, the bay forms a wide arc around its small harbour.

Context and history

The trail's modern identity dates to 1987, when it was inaugurated and dedicated to the Bohemian poet. Rilke had come to Duino as the guest of Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis, and it was during walks on these cliffs that the opening lines of the Elegies — the famous cry to the angels — came to him before he drafted the first poems inside the castle. The completed cycle, published in 1922 and dedicated to the Princess, fixed Duino in European literary history. The trail lies within the Riserva Naturale Regionale delle Falesie di Duino, whose landscape is protected habitat.