 Introduction
Arrival Plane
The Ronchi dei Legionari International Airport Airport Friuli Venezia Giulia is Trieste's major airport. Airlines serving the airport include: Alitalia, Eurofly and Lufthansa. The transit company APT offers airport service on Coach 51. Information can be found by calling +39 0481 593511 or at www.aptgorizia.it
Train
Monfalcone Railway Station is located 5km from the airport and APT Bus 10 provides service from the railway station to the airport. Train service is provided by Trenitalia and information can be found at www.trenitalia.com.
Car
Trieste is easily accessible to the A4 Motorway, the SS14, the A23 Motorway, and the A28 Motorway.
Transport
History and Culture
Trieste was held by Austria from 1382 until 1919. It was made a free port by the Emperor Charles VI in 1719, and from the end of the 18th century, after the construction of an artificial harbor, it captured the trade with the Near East which had been dominated by Venice for more than 500 years. As the last harbor of any size left to Austria Trieste developed into the leading commercial town in the Adriatic, particularly after the construction of the Semmering railroad line (1854) and the new port installations to the north of the town (1867-83).
After the First World War the town, mainly inhabited by Italians, was assigned to Italy and thus lost its hinterland; but the consequent decline in trade was made good by the large-scale development of industry. Under the Allied treaty with Italy in 1947 the territory immediately bordering on Trieste, with a predominantly Slav population, was ceded to Yugoslavia and the town itself together with part of the Istrian peninsula became a free state under the United Nations, divided into two zones. On the basis of a later treaty between Italy and Yugoslavia (October fifth 1954) Zone A and the town of Trieste were returned to Italian administration (and finally incorporated in Italy in 1963), while Zone B was assigned to Yugoslavia. Since 1962 Trieste has been the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
Churches and Museums
This church by the architect Matteo Pertsch (1818), with bell-towers on both sides of the facade, follows the Austrian late baroque style.
Catedrale San Giusto
In the city, the Catedrale San Giusto stands on a hill which was probably the site of the earliest habitations. The building was started in the 6th Century, using some of the extant parts of a Roman temple. The Lombards destroyed the church but later two Romanesque basilicas were erected on the site during the 9th to 11th centuries. They were joined during the 14th century, a “renovation” which was decidedly Gothic in result. The rosette above the portal and the campanile (bell tower) are both wonderfully ornate.
Sant'Antonio
At the end of the canal (Canale Grande) we come to the Neo-Classical church of Sant'Antonio (1849), Trieste's largest church. To the right of this is the Serbian Orthodox church of San Spiridione.
Castle Hill
To the southwest of the Roman Theater is the castle hill. Half-way up the hill, on the right, is the small Protestant church of San Silvestro (11th century), and opposite it, on the left, the Jesuit church of Santa Maria Maggiore (1627-82), with a Baroque interior.
Museo Civico Revoltella
At the corner of the Piazza Venezia is the Museo Civico Revoltella, one of Italy's major museums of modern art, with more than a thousand paintings, 800 sculptures as well as prints and drawings. It covers six floors and 40 rooms.
Museo di Storia Naturale
Beyond the Museo Civico Revoltella is the Piazza A. Hortis. On the southeast side of the square are the Museum of Natural History (Museo di Storia Naturale) and the Municipal Library.
Museo Sartorio
Near the Museo di Storia Naturale is the Museo Sartorio, which contains ceramics, majolica, porcelain and pictures, typical equipment of Trieste's villas at the end of the 19th century.
Museo del Mare
To the south of the harbor the Museum of the Sea (Museo del Mare) has numerous ship models of all times, particularly sailing ships.
Historical buildings and monuments
The Roman Theatre lies at the foot of the San Giusto hill, and faces the sea. The construction partially exploits the gentle slope of the hill, and most of the construction work is in stone. The topmost portion of the amphitheatre steps and the stage were presumably made of wood.The statues that adorned the theatre (which was brought to light in the '30s) are now preserved at the Town Museum. Three inscriptions from the Trajan period mention a certain Q. Petronius Modestus, a person who was closely connected with the development of the theatre, which was erected during the second half of the 1st century.
Castle of Miramare
The Castle was built from 1856 to 1860 to a design by Carl Junker on the orders of Archduke Maximilian. The Castle gardens provide a setting of outstanding beauty with a variety of trees, chosen by and planted on the orders of Maximilian, that today make a remarkable collection. Features of particular attraction in the gardens include two ponds, one noted for its swans and the other for lotus flowers, the Castle annexe (“Castelletto”), a nearby a bronze statue of Maximilian, and a small chapel in which is kept a cross made from the remains of the “Novara”, the flagship on which Maximilian, brother of Emperor Franz Josef, set sail to become Emperor of Mexico.
Castle of San Giusto
Designed on the remains of previous castles on the site, it took almost two centuries to build. The stages of the development of the Castle's defensive structures are marked by the central part built under Frederick III (1470-1), the round Venetian bastion (1508-9), the Hoyos-Lalio bastion and the Pomis, or “Bastione fiorito” dated 1630. The Castle - in which several rooms, including the Sala Caprin, are open to the public - houses a Museum displaying historical weapons and is regularly used for the staging of exhibitions, events and, in the summer, open-air shows. A walk on the Castle ramparts and bastions gives a complete panorama of the city of Trieste, its hills and the sea.
Arch of Riccardo
It is an Augustan gate built in the Roman walls in 33 AD. It stands in Piazzetta Barbacan, in the narrow streets of the old town. It's called Arco di Riccardo (“Richard's Arch”) because is believed to have been crossed by King Richard of England in the return jorney from the Crusades.
Borsa Vecchia
A little way northeast of the Town Hall, in Piazza della Borsa, is the Old Exchange (Borsa Vecchia), a Neo-Classical building of 1806.
Places of Interest
The biggest piazza in Europe, and the heart of politics, business and culture in the City. The Piazza, at the center of which stands the 18th century Quattro Continenti fountain, is the site of many concerts, festivals, shows and exhibitions. It is surrounded by cafes and gives way to many streets with many more cafes, restaurants, clubs and shops. The most magnificent building on its north side fronting the Piazza is the Prefettura, or palace of government. On the south side the massive palazzo (1882-83) of Lloyd Triestino, a shipping line founded in 1836 as the Austrian Lloyd company, and on the east side the Town Hall (Palazzo del Municipio; 1876).
Caves
In the whole Trieste province there are 10 speleological groups (24 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia). The Trieste uphill (Altopiano Triestino), the geographical area of the Carso placed in the Italian territory (an area of roughly 200 km2), guess approximately 1500 caves of different size (67 more than 99 m deep). Among the most famous there is the Cave of Trebiciano (350 m deep) where at the bottom flow the Timavo River and the Grotta gigante the world biggest tourist cave.
Surroundings
The surroundings of Trieste include the villa suburb of Villa Opicina and the little port and seaside resort of Duino.
Events
The acrobatics of the “Frecce Tricolori” the Italian airforce´s acrobatic squad provide a breathtaking spectacle. The team is one of the most prestigious in the world. In the middle of the summer, every even numbered year, there is one of these unusual performances above the gulf of Trieste. As well as the Italian team, there are also pilots and aircraft from all over the world. The show is combined with meetings in the piazza and gastronomic events. The show can be seen from the coast, the Carso and the city. All the traffic in the city is stopped for one hour to allow people to crowd into the streets during the performance.
Da Gutenberg al Laser - The Trieste festival of books - May/June
After the great exhibitions of Torino and Naples, they say that the Trieste book festival is the best in Italy. It is at least one of the most characteristic. 'From Gutenburg to Laser', organised by the Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Trieste local authorities and other local institutions it aims to promote reading among the masses. Dozens of bookshops and publishers (mainly local and so even more attractive) display in the characteristic hangars, old and new books alike. Alongside the displays there is a series of meetings with authors, debates, workshops and conferences aimed at both adult readers and the very young.
Carnevale Muggesano - February
This is a popular carnival with ancient roots; the Muggia carnival dates back to 1420 - the year in which it was decided to start a society for carnival entertainment. Today, this carnival is still considered one of the most important in Italy, second only to Venice and Viareggio. With masked balls, processions, extraordinary costumes, dance shows and music in the piazzas, the carnival attracts thousands of people from all over the region to this small, eastern, edge of Italy which is transformed into a small, Rio de Janeiro on the sea.
Carnevale estivo - 14 July
Between July and August, this enchanting city on the sea and the Slovenian border transforms itself into a great festival. The winter costumes return to the piazza and the concerts of traditional and contemporary music alternate with theatre shows in dialect and comedies. There is also a boat race, a parade of old and by now unobtainable boats, food stands and games for young and old. The roads and squares all liven up towards nightime.
Festival Del Cinema LatinoAmericano - October
This festival, held in October each year, celebrates and promotes Latin-American cinema in Italy. Films and documentaries shot by Latin American directors, both in and outside Latin America, are the main focus. It is organised by the Associazione per la Promozione della Cultura Latino Americana in Italia.
Mittelfest - July
Takes place in the pretty Cividale del Friuli (a good hour by car from Trieste: take the A4 motorway and follow the signs for Udine). It attracts thousands of Italian and foreign tourists every year. The event includes dance shows, poetry and prose readings, concerts and visual arts. More than 600 international artists take part.
Nozze carsiche - August
Every two years in a small town on the Trieste plain,it is possible to attend the celebration of the so-called Carso nights, the most important date with the popular traditions of the ethnic Slovenian that has been living here for a long time. A young local couple are chosen, who on the last Sunday in August are marrying according to ancient tradition. The festivities last a week and start with a farewell to a single life and celibacy with dance evenings, in the osmizze of Rupingrande (the osmizze are typical family-run shops offering homegrown products.) Among the shows, the most interesting ceremony, other than the night itself is the carrying of the trousseau of the bride on an ox-drawn cart through the village. The participants are in costume but everyone can take part, even spectators.
La Sfida - June
This event, which was first held in 2000, involves a very exciting boat race. Two extraordinary twin boats, 16 metres in length, compete on the Gulf of Trieste every June for a prestigious title. La Sfida, which means challenge, has the same rules as the America Cup. The equipment is sponsored by 12 important local entrepreneurs and is amongst the best in the world.
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Trieste Travel Guide
Twin room - From 86€
Single room - From 70€
Twin room - From 90€
Single room - From 90€
Single room - From 70€
Single room - From 55€
Double room - From 80€