The Italian city of Trieste doesn’t feel all that Italian – and that’s a major part of the charm.
What is Trieste all about?
Clear days in Trieste are pretty magical. The water of the Adriatic Sea looks so, so blue, and the mountains rise up behind it on the other side of the shallow gulf. Trieste, quite simply, is a lovely place to be.
But it’s an odd one that doesn’t quite conform to images of how an Italian seaside city should behave. That’s largely down to geography, and related history. Trieste is on that weird finger of Italy that hooks around the top of the Adriatic. And it is effectively where Latin, Germanic and Slavic Europe have long met. So, it is quite easy to see Italian leather shops, stout Habsburg architecture and a honking great Serbian Orthodox church within a few steps of each other. The local identity is very much Triestini rather than anything else, however.
Taking a walk through Trieste’s highlights
The city’s heart is the Piazza Unità d’Italia, which faces out towards the Adriatic and is surrounded by suitably splendid palazzi. These include the city hall and the glass-mosaic covered Palazzo del Governo.
From there, it’s a short walk to the ruins of the Roman Theatre. The seating areas have been tastefully restored, and are still used for concerts in summer.
After that, it’s a steep slog uphill to the Castello di San Giusto, which has become the city’s symbol, and offers utterly fabulous views out over Trieste, the sea and the mountains. It’s a hodge-podge of a construction, built over several centuries of repeated wars between Austria and the Venetian Republic. The underground Lapidarium full of Roman mosaics and statues is worth a look here, too.
However, the armoury section at the Castello di San Giusto is eminently missable unless you’ve got a real thing for old halberds.
Then, if you can navigate its somewhat eccentric opening hours, you can take a taste of Trieste’s literary heritage at the Museo Joyce. James Joyce lived in Trieste between 1905 and 1915, teaching English, passing time in cafés and writing The Dubliners. The museum is suitably slavishly devoted.
Trieste’s top local hangout
Trieste has a tremendous café scene, with several glamorous old dames from the 19th century still doing a roaring trade. The Caffè degli Specchi is arguably the best spectacle, with newspapers laid out over a piano top, scores of chairs placed on the Piazza Unità d’Italia and coffee served 30-odd ways. It was opened in 1839, and anyone who can see the array of cakes laid out without slavering has an iron will.
Trieste restaurant picks
Unsuprisingly, given its coastal position, Trieste does seafood very well. A top spot for it is Al Bagatto, which has been in the same family since 1966, and isn’t afraid to veer beyond the traditional. A sea bass in salt, mint and coffee is one of the more daring options.
For an agreeably affordable local haunt, then Baracca e Burattini on Via di Torre Bianca is a great find. It’s an atmospheric exposed stone space. It leans more Mediterranean magpie than traditional Italian..
Shopping in Trieste
The pedestrianised Via San Nicolò is one of the main shopping streets and it’s home to the Libreria Antiquaria Umberto Saba. The poet ran the bookshop – an overwhelmingly atmospheric haven of often tattered rare books climbing the shelves – for 35 years.
Just off Piazza Unità d’Italia, Valmoda specialises in leather goods, and particularly gorgeous are the Alviero Martini range of handbags, purses and wallets using classic world maps as decoration.
Top attraction near Trieste
Just along the coastline north of Trieste (take the number 6 bus to get there) is the Castello di Miramare. Built for Austrian Archduke Maximilian, who later became Emperor of Mexico, it is a wonderfully OTT Gothic-meets-Renaissance affair on top of a rocky promontory. Inside, it lurches from rooms modelled on ship interiors to outrageously flamboyant pink and gold bed chambers. The surrounding, heavily landscaped park ain’t half bad either.
Trieste tours and experiences
Top tours and experiences from Trieste include a cross-border day out to Lake Bled and Ljubljana, plus a jaunt along the Slovenian coast that includes wine-tasting.
Trieste accommodation recommendations
The historic Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta teeters on that line between chintz and splendour, with portraits of long-dead Habsburg monarchs and antique writing desks in the rooms, plump sofas and marble-topped chests of drawers. If you buy into it, it’s great fun – and the basement pool surrounded by mosaic art is magnificent.
Less in-your-face, but arguably more impressive is the Savoia Excelsior Palace, which has better sea views. The rather cool central library area with individually-lit pink sofas and art nouveau glass roof sums up what it’s about – contemporary chic in a classic building.
Weirdly housed on the first floor of an anonymous office building, the Forvm Boutique Hotel is surprisingly excellent. There’s a rather dashing sense of style – exposed stone walls, tech-integrated headboards, bizarre art consisting of framed locks and keys – plus a great service ethic that includes free welcome drinks and snacks.
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