We tour some of the most representative and significant places of this city that inspired so many writers and artists and from which "one has the impression of not being anywhere because one has the sensation of being suspended in unreality", in the words of the Viennese playwright and critic Hermann Bahr.
We also briefly review his Jewish heritage.
by Ricardo Angoso
Trieste is a true and authentic city at a crossroads, a crossroads of paths, cultures, peoples and national identities that come together in this beautiful and well-kept city. Actually, the true personality of Trieste is plural because Romans, Byzantines, Lombards, Venetians, Austrians, Slovenes, Germans, Croats passed through it and, more recently, it became part of Italy. Trieste, that hybrid and mixed city, always a frontier, always sad and exciting, as the professor and writer Claudio Magris defined it.
An open, cosmopolitan city with a notable cultural, architectural and historical heritage, Italians and Slovenes have always coexisted there, but also other Slavic communities and a Jewish community of Sephardic origin. This plurality always occurred normally and in a climate of natural multiethnic coexistence, without conflicts and harmony.
However, in 1938, after the promulgation of the racist laws of Mussolini In this same city, precisely in the cradle of Italian tolerance, that coexistence was broken and the persecutions of the Jews began, culminating in the extermination of almost the entire Jewish community of Trieste.
Today, however, things are very different and Trieste still retains its plural character. A very touristy city, nestled between northern Italy, Croatia and Slovenia, Trieste has numerous museums, palaces, large squares, good restaurants where you can taste Friulian, Slovenian or Italian food, top quality hotels, welcoming taverns for all audiences and prices and, in short, endless possibilities at all levels. Below we detail a small list of those places that we consider essential on a visit to the city, although there are many more that would exceed the scope of this brief review and that you will surely discover on your trip.
Italian Unity Square. It is the great square of Trieste, from where all the great streets and avenues of the city run and where we find most of the city's monuments in its surroundings. Among the buildings and palaces located in the same square or near it, we must highlight the Palazzo della Luogotenenza Austriaca (1903); the Palazzo Stratti (1839), where the Coffee of Mirrors (Mirror Cafe); the Palazzo Modello (1871); the Municipality or Palazzo del Comune (1875); the Palazzo Pitteri (1780); the Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta (1873); and, finally, to name just a few, the building of the Lloyd Austriaco di Navigazione navigation company (1884). Also in this square we will find, in the center, the impressive and beautiful fountain by Bergamo's Giovanni Battista Mazzoleni (1754) and the statue of Charles VI (1728).
As a curious and anecdotal fact, it should be noted that from this square the dictator Benito Mussolini announced from the city's City Hall building the well-known Racial Laws of a fascist nature that opened the ban on the "hunting" of Italian Jews. Before 150.000 people, Mussolini spoke to the masses about the “racial problem” and the adoption of “necessary solutions.” The consequences are evident: 6.807 Italian Jews were deported to the Nazi extermination camps, of which only 837 survived. Among them was the famous writer Primo Levi, author of the well-known Auschwitz Trilogy.
Jewish Trieste. There are four places that we recommend from the little that we can visit today in Jewish Trieste: The city's Jewish cemetery; the spectacular Synagogue; the “Carlo e Vera Wagner” Jewish Community Museum; and the streets of the old ghetto that extended a few steps from the Stock Exchange building and behind the Italian Unity Square, although the place is not well marked or indicated, it must be said. The city's Synagogue, which dates back to 1912, can be visited and is a place that is undoubtedly worth it.
Data obtained from:
www.viajaresvestirsedeloco.com/la-triste-historia-de-la-risiera-di-san-sabba/
The Roman Theater. Although it is a somewhat abandoned and neglected place, we recommend it for being located in the historic center of the city. We have found this review that tells us something about its history: “The theater began to be built at the end of the 3.500st century BC. C. and later expanded at the beginning of the 6.000nd century AD. At the time of its construction, it was located outside the city walls and next to the sea, which at that time reached that area. According to various sources, its steps, also built using the natural slope of the hill, could accommodate XNUMX to XNUMX spectators.”
Source cited and consulted:
https://www.divento.com/es/italy/12875-roman-theatre-of-trieste-trieste.html
The Grand Canal. It is a navigable canal, built in 1756, and where we find on one side, the Gulf of Trieste and on the other, in the background, the majestic Church of San Antonio. Around the canal, there are numerous bars, restaurants, taverns and even some hotels for all audiences and prices. It is a very busy area, both in the afternoon and at night, and highly recommended for a good dinner or simply having a drink at the end of the afternoon. Drinks like those devoured by the Irish writer James Joyce in the Trieste taverns, which would lead him to moan, "and Trieste, ah Trieste, ate my liver."
Stock Exchange Building. Located a few hundred meters from Plaza de la Unidad, the old Stock Exchange building was inaugurated in 1806 based on a design by architect Antonio Mollari. The building resembles a Greek temple with Doric columns, with metopes and triglyphs that support the triangular pediment decorated with a clock flanked by the figures of Fortune and Glory. The palace has many statues on the façade, on the ground floor we find America, Europe, Asia and Africa, on the main floor Vulcan and Mercury, and all of them are the work of the artists Banti and Ferrari. The statues of the Danube, Minerva and Neptune are on top of the railing and belong to the work of the artist Francisco Bosa. You can visit it, upon payment, and it is a very cozy, charming and well-kept place. Today it is the city's Chamber of Commerce, since the exchange ceased its financial activities in 1844.
Stock Market Square. It is one of the large and beautiful squares that Trieste has and the building of the same name that housed the city stock exchange is located there. In its surroundings, you can also find some very cozy and attractive bars, ice cream parlors and restaurants. Apparently, the economic life of the city took place around this square in the 19th century. Trieste is definitely the city of squares, you don't really have to look for them but rather they appear during a walk around the city.
Orthodox Church of San Spiridione. I found it to be an impressive, beautiful place that gives the city an oriental and I would dare say Balkan touch, since the church is closely linked to the history and relationship of the city of Trieste with the region. The Orthodox community of Trieste was established in 1748 but it was not until 1751 that Empress Maria Theresa allowed the free exercise of religion to Orthodox Christians. This caused the immigration of Serbian merchants from Herceg Novi, Trebinje and Sarajevo to Trieste. The Church was completed in 1756 and is closely linked to the local Serbian community, the main Orthodox community in Trieste. This place has great artistic and religious value, as it has a heritage of numerous valuable objects, historical documents, icons and various works of art dating back to 1751.
Saint Anthony Church. It is a place that is located in the heart of the city and very close to the Grand Canal and other representative monuments of Trieste. The church of Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo (usually called the church of Sant'Antonio Nuovo), is the main religious building in the neighborhood known as Borgo Teresiano and in the center of Trieste. The church project dates back to 1808, but work did not begin until 1825. The façade of the building is characterized by six Ionic columns. Also on the main façade, in the attic, there are six statues sculpted by Francesco Bosa in 1842, representing Saint Giusto, Saint Sergio, Saint Servolo, Saint Mauro, Saint Eufemia and Saint Thecla. It is the typical neoclassical monument, of which there are so many in Trieste, and perhaps one of its most representative churches.
Source cited and consulted:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_de_Sant%27Antonio_Nuovo
Cathedral of San Giusto. We have found the following review about this emblematic place, which we reproduce literally: “The first news about the cathedral dates back to the year 1337, when the bell tower of the old church of Santa María was covered with a thick wall to support the new building. The work on the bell tower was completed in 1343, but work on the church lasted practically until the end of the century. The bell tower was originally taller, but in 1422 it was struck by lightning and reduced to its current height."
Source cited and consulted:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catedral_de_Trieste
Verdi's Theater. It is the main opera and ballet theater in the city of Trieste. It is also one of the oldest spaces still in operation in the city; It dates back to 1800 and its structure, consisting mainly of two rooms, the Verdi Theater Room and the Ridotto Room, echoes the architecture of the Teatro de la Scala in Milan, built by Giuseppe Piermarini. The theater has been the symbol of the city's Italian cultural identity and, at the same time, an interpreter of Trieste's cosmopolitanism, making the works of Central European composers known to the public.
San Marco Coffee. In this city of writers and writers, artists and creators, this is an essential place. It is the most famous of Trieste's literary cafes. Founded just before the First World War, the writers Joyce, Svevo and Umberto Saba passed through its tables, and today, that tradition continues with Claudio Magris. Saba, Jewish and author of one of the first gay novels in history, Ernesto, was one of the regulars at this cafe. It has a cafeteria, bookstore, restaurant service and a very cozy lounge to read or have a snack.
Where to sleep: Albergo alla Posta, Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan 1. Excellent value for money and beautiful, clean, dignified and welcoming place.
Where to eat: Birreria Forst, Via Giorgio Galatti, 11. German, Friulian, Italian and international food at a good price and a variety of top quality beers. Next to the Hostel there Posta.
Photos of the city of the author of the note