Trieste

<< Friuli Venezia Giulia

Trieste is the capital and largest city of Friuli Venezia Giulia and has been for centuries a border town, connecting the West with the East, and the North with the South. It was already inhabited in prehistoric times, and it became a flourishing port under the Romans. After a period of decline during the Middle Ages, Trieste was ruled by surrounding powers like Venice and Austria. Only in the 18th century Trieste started to become a commercial hub under the Austrian rule, growing into the main port of the Habsburg Empire. Trieste was a Free Imperial City in the 19th century and it was inhabited by peoples of different cultures and languages, but with a strong Italian majority. During that time Trieste was a melting pot, and in the early 20th century it was one of the most cosmopolitan and culturally active cities in Europe. The city became part of Italy after World War I along with all of Venezia Giulia, but most of the region was lost in World War II. The Free Territory of Trieste was an independent city state from 1947 until 1954, when it was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia, with the city joining the former. After decades of being right along the Iron Curtain, now Trieste is an important port and the site of many cultural and scientific institutions, and it is still an intersection of cultures and peoples.

✪ Miramare Castle

The Miramare Castle is a splendid 19th-century castle located on a cliff above the sea a few kilometers north of Trieste. It was built between 1856 and 1860 for Austrian Archduke and Emperor of Mexico Maximilian I. The lavish palace features various Gothic Revival decorations and richly adorned halls, and it is surrounded by a large park. Now it hosts a museum and it is one of the most iconic sights of Trieste.

✪ Piazza Unità d’Italia

Piazza Unità d’Italia is the main square of Trieste. It is the largest sea-facing square in Italy and it is surrounded by important historic buildings on all the other sides. The square is dominated by the iconic City Hall (Palazzo del Municipio), a richly decorated building erected in the 1870s that hosts the seat of the local municipality. Other notable palaces are Palazzo della Luogotenenza Austriaca and Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino, two elaborate buildings erected during the Austrian rule. The 18th-century Fountain of the Four Continents stands in the middle of Piazza Unità d’Italia.

✪ Grand Canal of Trieste

The Grand Canal (Canal Grande) is a navigable canal in the Borgo Teresiano neighborhood of Trieste, and it is one of the most iconic sights in the city. It is dominated by the massive Neoclassical Church of Sant’Antonio Nuovo (or Church of Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo), but the sides facing the canal also host interesting and historic buildings. Among these is Palazzo Gopcevich, which houses the Civico Museo Teatrale Carlo Schmidl, an exhibition on the history of theater and music in Trieste.

Church of Saint Spyridon

The Church of Saint Spyridon is a Serbian Orthodox church which stands close to the Church of Sant’Antonio Nuovo. It was erected in the late 19th century on the site of a previous church and features rich decorations of Byzantine Revival style, along with some artworks and historic objects.

Civic Museum of Oriental Art

The Civic Museum of Oriental Art (Museo Civico d’Arte Orientale) is a collection of artifacts and memorabilia coming mostly from China and Japan, but also other parts of Asia. It is located near Piazza Unità d’Italia.

Synagogue of Trieste

The Synagogue of Trieste is the largest Jewish worship site in Italy and among the most important ones in Europe. It was built in the early 20th century. It is a decorated monumental building with richly adorned interiors and it’s the center of the local Jewish community.

Trieste Cathedral

Also known as: Cathedral of San Giusto

The main religious building of Trieste is the 14th-century Cathedral built on top of a hill near the Castle of San Giusto. Next to the church there are the ruins of the ancient Roman Forum and basilica. Meanwhile, the interior of this Romanesque and Gothic cathedral hosts a wonderful Byzantine-style apsidal mosaics.

Castle of San Giusto

The Castle of San Giusto is a fortress located on a hill in Trieste, close to the city’s cathedral. It was built during the Renaissance by expanding previous fortifications, and now it hosts a museum with a collcetion of historic weapons.

Roman Theater of Trieste

The ruins of the Roman Theater of Trieste (Teatro Romano di Trieste) are located among the modern buildings of the city center. It was built sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE, but it was hidden for centuries before being unearthed in 1938.

Arco di Riccardo

Arco di Riccardo is an ancient triumphal arch dating from the 1st century BCE and former city gate of the Roman walls of Trieste, of which is the only surviving part. It is located in a small square at the foot of the San Giusto hill.

Revoltella Museum

The Revoltella Museum is a large collection of modern art located in a historic building in the city center of Trieste. It hosts hundreds of paintings and artifacts from the 19th and 20th century.

Sartorio Museum

The Sartorio Museum is a historic villa in Trieste hosting a collection of artworks. The museum hosts a varied collection that includes jewellery, ceramics, and paintings, and also drawings by Tiepolo.

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of Trieste (Museo di Storia Naturale) hosts large collections focused on biology, zoology, paleontology, mineralogy, and geology. All these sections showcase the diversity and evolution of the rich local environment, while also displaying specimens from all over the world.

Risiera di San Sabba

Risiera di San Sabba is a former rice-husking facility that was used as a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Now it hosts a museum honoring the thousands of prisoners, mostly Jews, who died here or transited through this camp before being sent to other sites.

Victory Lighthouse

The Victory Lighthouse (Faro della Vittoria) is a one of the talles lighthouses in the world, and it stands on a hill north of Trieste. It was built during the 1920s to serve as a war memorial for World War I, honoring especially the soldiers who died in the sea, but it is also used as lighthouse.

Temple of Monte Grisa

The Temple of Monte Grisa (Santuario di Monte Grisa) is a large church located on a hill north of Trieste. It was built during the 1960s and it is composed of a series of brutalist structures that are supposed the represend the letter M as a symbol of Holy Mary. Due to is position, it’s easily visible from all of Trieste and it offers spectacular views over the city.