Leaving the gift, citizens apologised "on behalf of the city of Trieste". A journalist with the Trieste daily Il Piccolo tweeted a photo of the citizens' sign, which also said "Dear friend ...

There is a pretty Italian seaside city with an airport that gets way less tourists than Venice and Florence - and there's direct flights from Britain. Trieste is a city and seaport in northeast Italy.

Hop across the Adriatic sea from Venice and you’ll find Trieste, a unique border town that you’ve probably never heard of – but one you’re going to want to add to your city-break hit list.

Hop across the Adriatic sea from Venice and you’ll find Trieste, a unique border town that you’ve probably never heard of – but one you’re going to want to add to your city-break hit list.