by InTrieste
Each morning, Nicolò Milani loads his car with letters and parcels and sets out toward one of the most distinctive landscapes in northeastern Italy: the Karst plateau, a stretch of pale limestone, dense woods and quiet villages overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
At 33, Mr. Milani has spent nearly a decade working for Poste Italiane, much of that time assigned to routes that wind through the rugged borderlands above Trieste. His daily circuit crosses small communities in the municipality of Duino-Aurisina and passes through hamlets like Sistiana, where houses are scattered and distances between neighbors can be measured in long stretches of empty road.
“I’ve worked here since I was 24,” Mr. Milani said. “From the beginning I’ve been assigned to these border areas. The relationship with the territory and with the people is essential. Many homes are isolated, and some villages have very few residents. But the natural surroundings are still untouched — and very beautiful.”
His route, which climbs and descends between rocky uplands and coastal views, covers dozens of miles each day. It is work that can appear solitary, yet in practice depends heavily on human connection. In small towns, he said, conversations often begin the moment he steps out of the car.
“You always find a smile, a word, a brief exchange,” he said. “The mail carrier becomes a familiar presence, someone people trust.”
Behind the individual nature of the job, he added, lies a coordinated system involving sorting staff, dispatch teams and fellow carriers. “We operate alone in the field,” he said, “but everything works because of collaboration and constant communication.”
For Mr. Milani, the role is also a balance between routine and personal passion. Outside his postal duties, he is an accomplished trumpet player who graduated from the Conservatorio Giuseppe Tartini. He performs regularly with wind orchestras and ensembles, moving between classical, jazz and contemporary repertoire.
“The job allows me to keep playing,” he said. “I’ve never stopped. I perform for enjoyment, but also to keep improving.”
Among his musical inspirations is Maurice André, the renowned French virtuoso whose recordings helped elevate the trumpet’s prominence in classical music. Mr. Milani also cites composers like Mahler and Mozart among his favorites.
His colleagues, he noted, share similar creative pursuits — some play piano, guitar or drums — and he has an informal ambition to form a workplace ensemble.
“Maybe one day,” he said with a smile, “we’ll put together a band of mail carriers.”
For now, his daily performance unfolds along winding Karst roads, where each delivery connects not only addresses, but a network of relationships shaped by geography, routine and trust.
