Often underestimated, Trieste is an elegant border city full of history. It is a crossroads of peoples and cultures.
We recommend starting your trip at Piazza Unita d'Italia - formerly Piazza San Pietro, Piazza Grande and, since 1918, after the annexation of the Kingdom of Italy, one of the largestlargest piazzas in Europe, directly overlooking the upper Adriatic Sea and surrounded by majestic buildings in neoclassical, art nouveau, eclectic and neo-gothic styles. In the centre stands the Fountain of the Four Continents: a marble monument from the mid-18th century, which commemorates the then known continents (Europe, Asia, Africa and America). In front of it is the Audace Pier, a promenade flush with the sea, which recalls the time when the Italian navy sank an Austrian ship and made a bronze compass from its remains, which is located on the hill.
Piazza Unità d'Italia and Molo Audace can be explored at any time of day, but are undeniably charming at sunset.sunrise, when a romantic stroll overlooking the Gulf of Trieste, Victory Lighthouse and Miramare Castle fills the eyes with splendour.
San Giusto Hill: castle, cathedral and war memorial
From Piazza Unità d'Italia, the starting point, walk through the streets of the medieval town and climb the perimeter of the ancienttrieste's ancient city walls to the hill of San Giusto, where the castle, cathedral and war memorial stand.
San Giusto Castle
Built between the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the 17th century, the castle was the heart of the city for a long time. It was restored in 2000 and now serves as a civic museum. From the top of the terrace, facing west, there is a magnificent panoramic view of the Adriatic, the bay and the city below.
Admission.
Address: P.za della Cattedrale, 3, 34131 Trieste TS
Opening hours: daily 10:00-19:00
A short walk from the castle is the Cathedral of San Giusto, which was created by joining two previous basilicas. It has a Gothic rosette window in white stone on the outer façade and beautiful frescoes of the Venetian school in the apse. A short distance away is the war memorial: a work by Attilio Selva in memory of the fallen in the First World War, depicting five men in a dramatic conflict.
Scala dei Giganti
Just walk around the outer perimeter of San Giusto Castle and you will find yourself in front of the Scala dei Giganti, a monumental work from the early 20th century. the passage between arches, niches and bridges leads directly to the Borgo Teresiano.
Borgo Teresiano: Canal Grande, San Spiridione e Ponte Rosso
Borgo Teresiano is one of the most interesting districts of Trieste. It was built by order of the then Austrian Emperor Charles VI. The Serbian Orthodox Church of San Spiridione, the Grand Canal, which empties directly into the Adriaticsea and the statue of James Joyce, the Irish writer who found inspiration in the capital of Friuli to write some of his masterpieces.
