Trnovo Bridge is a modest, lovely thing that sums up Plecnik's way of working. In the 1930s, he rebuilt a small bridge over the Gradaščica stream in the Trnovo district of Ljubljana, at the foot of the hill where the church of St Francis of Assisi stands, and he made it wide, wider than the street it joined, so that it became a small square as much as a crossing. The bridge is lined with pillars and balustrades of pale stone, and he planted two rows of birch trees along its edges, a gentle, living touch in the middle of the city. The pyramids at the corners are a nod to Egyptian forms, which he used with a sense of play.
Close by, the church of St Francis, built by Plecnik in the 1920s, is another curiosity. Its facade has a round tower, a brick body and a bold, unusual interior, with an arrangement of columns and light that is entirely his own. It is worth stepping in. The neighbourhood around, Trnovo, is a village-like quarter with small houses and gardens, as if the city had been left out of it.
The stream, the Gradaščica, was once a trouble to the district, flooding often, and Plecnik also helped to channel it, laying paths along the banks. It is a tranquil place now, a good spot for a coffee and an unhurried half hour. The Ljubljanica river and its Plecnik works lie a short walk away, and the castle is visible over the roofs.
Riding in this part of the city is straightforward but slow. Streets are narrow, and some are one-way. Park on the edge of the old town and walk, and Trnovo is a short stroll from the centre. Fuel stations are near the ring road. The ride leads on to the Italian city of Palmanova, a star-shaped fortress town of the late sixteenth century, and the road there crosses the Karst and the Friulian plain, a long, pleasant day. The weather is mild in spring and autumn, and the light on the river in the evening is lovely.