Trieste - Italy

Town Hall and Fountain of the 4 Continents

After visiting the caves in the morning, we popped over the border into Italy for an afternoon in Trieste. The city is full of impatient crazy drivers, and scooters appear to be the preferred mode of transport. New Zealand also features in it's history.

Piazza del Ponte Rosso

The city has been influenced by many cultures and civilisations.

The Grand Canel

Trieste was under Roman control by about 177 BC. After the breakup of the Roman Empire, Trieste was governed by Istria (Croatia).

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon

Captured by the Venetians in 1202, Trieste constantly agitated for autonomy, placing itself in 1382 under the protection of Leopold 3rdof Habsburg, whose overlordship gradually developed into Austrian possession.

Bridge at the end of the Canel

Trieste became the prosperous main port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and lots of money was spent on buildings and infrastructure. Trieste was occupied by Italian troops in 1918.

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon

Trieste was seized in 1943 by the Germans, who intended to maintain it as a southern outlet to the sea for the Third Reich.As the war reached its final weeks, Marshal Tito’s Partisans closed in from the east; the Allies also raced to liberate the city. The German garrison surrendered to New Zealand troops on May 2, 1945, but the city was claimed for Yugoslavia.

Fontana del Giovanni del Ponderosa

Trieste was only returned to Italy in 1954. Between land and sea, war and peace, it has developed a unique culture that sits somewhere between Austrian, Italian, and Slovenian.

There are so many old buildings of different architectural styles. So many different style influences.

Colours, textures, and noises. Trieste is an assault on the senses.

Piazza delal Borsa

Side of the local government building. I really like the detail above the arched windows.

Town Hall at top of the Piazza

The architecture and enormity of Piazza Unità d’Italia made me just stop and look, it's huge. It’s Italy’s largest sea-facing piazza and has always stood as a symbol of the port town’s power. It owes its creation to the empress Maria Theresa of Austria whose 18th-century reign heralded the city’s most prosperous age. She recognized the importance of the city as the Hapsburg Empire’s only port and flooded it with money. The massive Piazza was created in the process as a symbol of the Empire’s incredible architecture and urban planning.

One of the buildings on the East side of the Piazza Unita d'Italia

Two large buildings lined the east side of the Piazza, a hotel? and the Trieste Government buildings.
On the West side were more decorative buildings, I really liked this pastel building.


Facing the sea at the opposite end of the Town Hall.

Erik and I spent several hours, just strolling the streets, and feeling the vibe of the city.

An unexpected surprise. The toilets were under the Piazzo del Ponte Rosso. Squat toilets!

Not quite what I was expecting...

Buildings around Piazzo del Ponte Rosso, and stairs to toilets

Boats and buildings along the Grande Canal

I was hoping to try some gnocchi de susini, a sweet pasta of the area, made with ripe plums, egg, cinnamon, and sugar, but eaten as a first course. Unfortunately, the restaurants and cafes we visited didn't have it on their menu. I will keep looking...

Took the motorway back to Ljubljana, and saw the Julian Alps in the distance.