It does not look to the past with nostalgia, but it does boast openly of having been the great seaport of the Austro-Hungarian empire for centuries. Bohemian crystal, coffee, delicate oriental silks… The most precious products have passed through Trieste since time immemorial, but the free port status granted in 1719 by Charles VI marked a before and after in the city’s history.
The decision attracted merchants from all over the world and turned the current capital of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia into an amalgamation of cultures; an exquisite city with Central European overtones splashed by Mediterranean light and character that continue to emerge as you wander through its streets. The same light and the same character that, at the beginning of the last century, dazzled James Joyce. “My soul is in Trieste” wrote the Irishman, who took refuge on the shores of the Adriatic and remained linked to the town for more than a decade, in which he wrote part of his famous Ulysses.
The Piazza Unità d’Italia –the largest square open to the sea in the Old Continent- is the heart of the city and the last ostentation of power and solidity of an empire that died after the Great War. Nestled between the Teresiano and Giuseppino villages, it houses, perfectly aligned, the main palaces and buildings of the 19th century, such as the Palazzo della Luogotenenza Austriaca, today the seat of the prefecture, the Palazzo del Municipio, or the Palazzo de Pitteri, the oldest in the city, in a delicious mix of art nouveau, neoclassical and eclectic styles.
However, the most cosmopolitan essence of the city is reflected in the città vecchia and the Borgo Teresiano, the multi-ethnic neighborhood where Italians, Slavs, Germans and Greeks have lived together, a reflection of the religious tolerance enjoyed by the city ​​in the 19th century, during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. The Catholic temples -such as the neoclassical church of Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo-; the synagogue; the orthodox church; the evangelical or the serbo-orthodox, overflowing with mosaics, coexist in a placid harmony.
A short distance away, on the Ponte Rosso, on the Grand Canal, flanked by stately buildings, the memory of Joyce emerges, thanks to a life-size bronze statue similar to that of his friend Italo Svevo in Piazza Hortis, or those of Gabriele D’Annunzio -sitting on a bench reading a book in Piazza della Borsa-, and Umberto Saba -on his way to the bookstore he founded in Via San Nicolò-. All of them, writers linked to the city, frequented its historic cafes, once centers for literary gatherings and a meeting place for the local intelligentsia and bourgeoisie.
Today, crossing the threshold of the Garibaldi, the Stella Polare, the Tergesteo or the Tommaseo, elegant establishments that preserve the traditional decoration of Viennese local classics, and sit in front of an old marble table while savoring a capo in bì – the cappuccino typical Triestense-, a goccia, a nero or a macchiato is something like going back in time. As is a visit to La Bomboniera, an old pastry shop that delights the most demanding palates with excellent meringues and putizze.
However, the most personal trace of the Habsburgs in Trieste is exhibited by the Miramare Castle, the residence of Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium. Nestled on top of a promontory, a few kilometers from the capital, and surrounded by more than twenty hectares of exuberant gardens protected from the Bora -the wind that mercilessly whips the coast-, the palace reflects the love of the former emperor of Mexico by art and, especially, by nature.
The extraordinary views over the Adriatic, the sea that made the city grow, reach the coasts of Slovenia and Croatia. It is the same sea that for more than fifty years has hosted the Barcolana, the historic sailing regatta that brings together thousands of professional and amateur boats from all corners of the planet. The event, which this year will take place from September 29 to October 8, will once again place the Bay of Trieste in the spotlight of the world nautical sector, a merit earned by a city that is more committed than ever to the future .
Trieste bustles with activity throughout the year. The city has made an important commitment to art and culture, promoting numerous initiatives that attract tourists not only from the rest of Italy, but also from other corners of the Old Continent. The resounding success of the exhibition The Great Communicator. Banksy, which closed to the public at the beginning of April, with 60 works by the street artist, has given way to a new exhibition with a similar reception.
It is about the David LaChapelle: Fulmini exhibition. The exhibition of the North American photographer, one of the most stimulating artists on the world scene, covers through more than 90 works -ten of them large- the last 50 years of his creative activity. LaChapelle’s vivid imagination captures nature, humanity, chaos and paradise and illuminates them like lightning (fulmini).
The exhibition reflects two artistic phases: a first that immortalizes the turn of the millennium in an irreverent and ironic key, with characters from the world of fashion, music, cinema and politics, and a second that projects a more intimate dimension and at the same time more aesthetic. His unique and unmistakable style does not leave indifferent the visitors of the exhibition, which takes place at the Salone degli Incanti in Trieste.
On a visit to Trieste, it would be unthinkable not to visit a temple of contemporary fashion that opened its doors last April and is already emerging as one of the great attractions of the city. This is the ITS Arcademy – Museum of Art in Fashion, the first center of these characteristics in Italy, which brings together more than 14,000 items, including clothing, jewelry, accessories, photos and portfolios from the 20 editions of the ITS Contest, the contest designed to support young designers from all over the world.
The exhibition is impressive, showcasing the early work of some of the brightest talents from nearly 700 creators. Among them, names as recognized today as Demna Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga, or Richard Quinn and Nicola Di Felice, from Courrèges.
The Adriatic offers the possibility of carrying out numerous activities. One of the most attractive is to tour the Grado lagoon by boat, discovering some of its 120 tiny islands. Grado, located fifty kilometers from Trieste, is a picturesque town with Venetian charm of narrow streets and fishermen’s houses that in the 19th century became one of the favorite summer destinations of the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy. It is worth a visit. Known as the Isla del Sol, it is a regular destination for families and fans of water sports.
The boat trip through the lagoon -it is advisable to opt for a private taxi- will take us to the island of Barbana, whose sanctuary and church have made it an outstanding pilgrimage destination. Those who travel to the area in July will be able to participate in the Forgiveness of Barbana -a procession of boats that carries the image of the Madonna degli Angeli from Grado-, which is celebrated every year on the first Sunday of the month.
The lagoon offers extraordinary landscapes of small islets dotted with casoni, old fishermen’s houses with reed roofs that are still in use today. Eating fresh fish and seafood from the area in the old Ai Codi trattoria, on the lonely island of Anfora, with the Alps in the distance as a backdrop, seems like the best icing on a day at sea.
