by Nina Vaclavikova
Trieste and several neighboring municipalities closed all schools on Wednesday after a winter storm brought heavy snow, freezing temperatures and gale-force bora winds to northeastern Italy.
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza ordered the shutdown after regional forecasters warned that snowfall and winds — with gusts nearing 100 kilometers an hour — would intensify overnight, creating dangerous conditions for students and transportation. Public buses were already experiencing delays and route changes on Tuesday as ice formed on city streets.
Snow blanketed the Karst plateau and spread into the city and across Friuli Venezia Giulia, reaching as far as Udine. The coldest temperature in the region was recorded in the Julian Alps, where thermometers dropped more than 12 degrees below zero Celsius.
The storm also forced the cancellation of Trieste’s traditional Epiphany sea blessing by the Greek Orthodox community, as organizers deemed conditions on the waterfront too hazardous.
