The Falesie di Duino Natural Reserve is a protected natural area in the municipality of Duino-Aurisina, in the province of Trieste (Italy), bordering the province of Gorizia. It essentially covers the areas of Duino and Sistiana and extends over 107 hectares, of which 63 are at sea.
Established in 1996, it is part of the regional natural reserves of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The reserve is located on a wide and high limestone cliff on the Karst territory overlooking the Upper Adriatic, in a stretch of coast rich in Cretaceous fossiliferous limestone. Its main feature is the white cliff that descends perpendicularly to the sea.
Much of this stretch of the Adriatic coast is dominated by the Rilke trail, a scenic walk dedicated to the Prague poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who lived in this area and found inspiration for his poetry.
The vegetation is diverse and typical of both the Karst region and the Mediterranean Sea. Regarding marine inhabitants, the striped dolphin, a small dolphin with a maximum length of two meters, has been spotted multiple times in the waters of the bay of Sistiana.
