What to see in Trieste

2024 Author: Graham Hoggarth | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 10:26

The Italian city of Trieste has an outstanding history. Three major cultures intersect here at once - Latin, Slavic and German. At one time, Trieste was both an ancient Roman colony and a seaside center of the Habsburg empire. The proximity to Slovenia and Croatia has also left an imprint on the cultural development of this city. So what to see in Trieste?

In Trieste, in an amazing way, you can see in the neighborhood and the ruins of the ancient Roman forum, and the powerful Romanesque cathedral. A separate quarter was built up during the Habsburg rule, it is called the Austrian quarter. In the Old Town, where winding streets intertwine, it is easy to feel the spirit of the Middle Ages.

Trieste is a maritime city, and from the Old Port quite often small boats leave for nearby villas and castles, which are also of great interest to tourists. Eight kilometers from the city is the neo-Gothic Miramare castle, considered the pearl of the Adriatic and famous for its magnificent park. An unforgettable experience will be the descent into an underground cave near Trieste, where you can admire with your own eyes the mysterious stalactites and stalagmites.

TOP 15 attractions of Trieste

Cathedral

Cathedral of San Giusto

Cathedral of San Giusto consists of several small chapels, built at different times and interconnected in the XIV century. The cathedral is made in the Romanesque style. In its appearance, the main facade with a huge rose window stands out. It is curious that earlier an ancient Roman temple was located here, on the foundation of which a Christian shrine arose.

As for the interior of the temple, the ancient mosaic in the altar, depicting the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the patron saint of the city, Saint Justus, is of particular interest. The Cathedral of San Giusto also serves as the tomb of several Carlists, illegal claimants to the Spanish and French throne during the wars of the 19th century.

Unification Square of Italy

The central square of Trieste overlooks the bay and is considered one of the largest squares in Europe overlooking the open sea. The history of its name is curious - earlier on this place there was a tiny church of St. Peter, in whose honor the square got its name. However, the temple was soon destroyed. Then it bore a rather laconic name - Big Square - Piazza Grande. And only after the First World War, when Trieste went to Italy, this square received such a patriotic name.

The Unification Square of Italy became the main city square even during the Austro-Hungarian domination. Now it is surrounded by elegant buildings of the neoclassical era, among which the modern building of the city hall stands out. In the center of this sumptuous palace rises a clock tower adorned with funny figurines that ring the bell every quarter of an hour.

Opposite the city hall is the Fountain of the Four Continents, erected in the 1750s and depicting allegories of Europe, Asia, Africa and America, respectively. Nowadays, this square is very popular, and it often hosts high-level meetings and music concerts.

San Giusto Castle

The powerful castle of San Giusto rises above the ruins of the ancient Roman forum, creating an amazing architectural complex.

It is curious that the construction of the castle took several centuries - for a long time small medieval defensive fortifications were located here, the central part of the castle was built at the end of the 15th century, and at the beginning of the 16th century it was supplemented with a round Venetian bastion. Only in 1630 did the castle of San Giusto acquire its final appearance.

Now in the castle there is a museum, where ancient weapons and musical instruments are presented. The interior of the castle is richly decorated - especially the luxurious baroque painting of the 17th century.

Church of St. Spyridon

The Church of St. Spyridon belongs to the Serbian Orthodox Church. This powerful temple was built in 1869 according to the old Byzantine architectural canons. In its appearance, a huge dome and four small turrets on the sides, crowned with blue onions, stand out. The façade of the church is distinguished by elaborate mosaics and a small sculptural composition between them.

Inside the temple is richly painted with frescoes imitating ancient Byzantine mosaics. It is also worth noting the luxurious silver chandeliers at the entrance to the temple - they were donated by the Russian Emperor Paul I.

Cafe San Marco

Thanks to Austrian influence, Trieste quickly became a kind of Italian "coffee" capital - the ceremony of drinking coffee in good company is an urban tradition. Café San Marco was opened at the beginning of the 20th century, and the literary bohemia of that time immediately settled there. It is known that it was here that James Joyce wrote his famous "Ulysses". The interior of the cafe is made in the style of German Art Nouveau, which was popular at that time, especially the wall painting is worth noting. Now the building of the former cafe houses a bookstore.

Natural History Museum

The extremely interesting Natural History Museum is housed in a bright, modern building some distance from the city center. The museum was opened back in 1846 and is divided into several collections:

The collection of plants is represented by an extensive herbarium. It also displays samples of mosses, algae and grasses common in Italy.
The "star" of the zoological collection is the white shark caught in the Adriatic Sea in 1906. You can also see a variety of tropical birds and insects.
The paleontological collection of the museum in Trieste is constantly updated. Here are the oldest fossils and even the jaw of a primitive man. And the highlight of the program is the dinosaur Antonio, whose skeleton has been preserved almost intact. This herbivore, which reached four meters in length, previously lived between Europe and North Africa.
Among other things, the museum houses a mineralogical collection and a cabinet of curiosities. Also of particular interest is the preserved in its original form the interior of the scientific office from the times of the Enlightenment.

Lighthouse of Victory

The Victory Lighthouse - the original name of Faro della Vittoria - was built after the First World War to commemorate the fallen Italian soldiers. This massive white stone structure is 68 meters high and sits on top of a hill of roughly the same height. The lighthouse is crowned with a statue of the goddess of victory Victoria, and in the center there is a monument to an Italian sailor with an anchor, which belonged to the first Italian ship to enter the waters of Trieste in 1918.

Now the lighthouse is open for tourist visits from April to October. To climb to its top, you need to overcome 285 steps.

Synagogue

The synagogue of the city of Trieste is the second largest in all of Europe. It is located a kilometer from the city center - for a long time the Jewish quarter was located here. The synagogue was built at the beginning of the 20th century according to the canons of Syrian architecture.

The synagogue building is distinguished by a powerful facade with a Star of David window and a graceful porch with columns. The interior of the synagogue is richly decorated - the vaults are covered with golden mosaics, and huge bronze candlesticks - menorahs - rise on the marble balustrade. The interior of the synagogue is complemented by an upper gallery.

Arch of Riccardo

Riccardo arch

Historians call one of the most ancient architectural landmarks in Trieste the arch, which apparently served as the gateway to the ancient city. It is called the Riccardo Arch and there are several versions of the origin of the name. The simplest is the consonance of the word "riccardo" with the Latin "cardo", meaning "central street". The most beautiful version says that the arch began to be called that way after a visit to the city of the English king Richard the Lionheart. During one of the crusades in the XII century. Richard was driving through Trieste. Historians date the arch to the 1st century. BC NS. It is built of white stone and today adjoins one of the residential buildings in the historic part of Trieste.

Roman theater

Another ancient attraction is the Roman theater, as usual, accidentally discovered during construction work in the twentieth century. This happened in 1938, and Mussolini, then in power and desperate to emphasize that Trieste always belonged to Italy, ordered the demolition of an entire medieval quarter in order to unearth the entire stage and spectator stands. Archaeologists believe that the Roman theater appeared in Trieste at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries. It was not too big and could hold a maximum of 6,000 spectators. Initially, the structure was located right on the Adriatic coast, but over time the sea receded due to the fact that the coastline was silted up. In modern Trieste, the arena of the Roman theater hosts music festivals and performances by drama and opera artists.

Church of San Nicolo dei Greici

Until the second half of the 18th century. Greeks and Serbs held services in the same church, but the moment came when the premises of the church of St. Spyridon became small. Then the parishioners of the Greek Orthodox Church built their own. She appeared in the 80s. XVIII century Initially, the church of St. Nicholas did not have a facade - the Orthodox Greek community of Trieste did not have enough funds. Only in 1820 the facade was added, and the famous architect Matteo Pertsch became the author of its project. According to his drawings, the Verdi Theater was also erected in the city. The interior of the Church of San Nicolo dei Greici is decorated with frescoes by Italian painters of the late 18th century. and richly decorated with gilding stucco.

Josephino Quarter

To the east of the historic center is the Josefino quarter, where you can visit several museums in Trieste and look at the Austro-Hungarian buildings characteristic of this part of the city. The most famous sights of the quarter, named after the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, are called:

Church of Santa Maria del Soccorso, built in 1774. The temple was erected in the Baroque style - not too typical for Trieste. The bright orange color of the walls of the temple and the bell tower with the clock are well recognizable against the background of the rest of the building of the quarter.
Early Christian basilica of the 5th-6th centuries It was excavated in the 70s. of the last century and is known for mosaics that have survived to this day in perfect condition.

The block is located on a steep hillside, and therefore it is better to wear comfortable shoes for walking.

Sartorio Museum

You can look at the paintings by artists of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in the Sartorio Museum, organized in Trieste at the beginning of the 20th century. The mansion where the paintings are exhibited belonged to Anna Segre Sartorio, a representative of the well-known family of aristocrats and collectors in the city. The museum is especially proud of the work of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, an outstanding master of Italian Rococo and the last representative of the Venetian school of painting. His frescoes adorn villas and residences in Milan, Bergamo and Padua.

To visit the museums of Trieste, it is advantageous to buy the FVG Card, which entitles you to free admission to fifty exhibitions and galleries. The map is sold at the Tourist Information Office in Piazza Unity Italia. Its cost for 2 and 9 days is 18 and 29 euros, respectively. By paying a few more euros, the tourist gets the opportunity to use the unlimited right of travel on city public transport.

Miramare Castle

Miramare Castle is considered the pearl of the Adriatic. This snow-white neo-Gothic palace was built in the middle of the 19th century by order of the Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. It is located on a low cliff facing the open sea.

The palace is famous for its magnificent park - it seems as if it is buried in greenery. It is home to typical Mediterranean flora and exotic plants such as sequoia and ginkgo trees. The park is mainly designed in the English style, but there are also areas with a more strict French layout. There are many secret paths in the park, and there are also two ponds where charming swans live.

There is now a museum inside the Miramare castle. The rich design of the palace has been preserved in its original form, and tourists can admire the luxurious throne room, the music room and even the imperial bedchamber with the bed presented for the wedding of Emperor Maximilian by Pope Pius IX. An interesting fact - the happy newlyweds never had a chance to spend the night on this huge bed.

Many members of the imperial family stayed at Miramare Castle, including the infamous heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand. He and his family lived here only two months before the murder.

Miramare Castle is located 8 kilometers from Trieste. A visit to the park is free, a ticket to the palace itself costs 10 euros.

Grottoes

There are many amazing grottoes scattered a few kilometers from Trieste. Especially worth noting is the Grotta Gigante cave, located five kilometers from the city center. This giant grotto has long been considered the largest grotto open to tourists in the world.

Descending to a depth of 156 meters below sea level, visitors find themselves in an amazing world of underground waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites, which are 10 million years old. The temperature here is kept at about 12 degrees, electric lighting is installed. The tourist route itself takes about an hour. The ticket price is 12 euros.