Trieste | Explore the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Trieste is a seaport city on the North of Italy and it represents the capital city of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

Trieste was very popular city for shopping. We´ve all heard a lot of stories from our parents of how they used to go there for a day or two just to shop the pair of jeans! However, nowadays Trieste lost its reputation as a city of good shopping. The biggest shop in Trieste “Godina” went bankrupt a few years ago. But, we don't travel just for shopping, so Trieste could still be a great travel destination. It's a calm city where you can rest, enjoy in big offer of various wines from its region, eat great salami and pizza, or just walk around the city and explore its beauties.

One day is enough to see everything you need around the city centre, but in case you're staying more, use your time to visit some tourist attractions that are situated out of the city (we'll write about these in our next post).

What to see?

Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia is the main square in Trieste and one of the largest in Europe. One side of the square is opened to the Adriatic and other three are surrounded by the city's municipal building, Palazzo Stratti (where the popular historic café - Caffè degli Specchi is situated), the Town Hall, Palazzo Pitteri (the oldest building in the square) and others.

On the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia there is Fountain of the Four Continents. It was built between 1751 and 1754 and it represent Trieste as a city of prosperity, because at the period of its creation Trieste became a Free Port thanks to Austria's policy (Charles VI and Maria Theresa’s) for developing the city. The fountain has four statues that represent the world, i.e. the four continents known at that time (Europe, Asia, Africa and America).

Molo Audace is a great place to relax with the perfect view of the city, especially in the evening, while waiting for the sunset.

What to know? 

There is cool breeze all the time. It's not surprising, since the main Bora region is the Adriatic coast, from Trieste to Dubrovnik, in Croatia and Bora is one of the strongest winds, sometimes of hurricane force. Trieste and the Bora are inseparable. They say that Trieste is the city of the Bora and the Bora is the wind of Trieste.

Canal Grande is situated in the centre of the city and it is surrounded with a lot of cafes and restaurants. The famous one is the Rossini.

What to know? 

The prices are higher due to the location.

In Ponte Rosso, that crosses the Canal Grande, you can find the statue of James Joyce, that was created by the Trieste sculptor Nino Spagnoli on the centenary of Joyce's arrival in Trieste.

Café “SanMarco” is one of the old school cafés and it was the favourite of James Joyce when he lived in Trieste.

The newest bridge on Canal Grande got the name “the short one” (the Ponte Curto), because when they finished it, they realized that there was an error in the measurement of the canal's width.

Chiesa Serbo Ortodossa di San Spiridione is the Orthodox church of San Spiridione. Its architecture from outside is very particular and impressive. Also, the inside of the church is worth seeing, so we recommend you to check the opening hours before you go there to be able to enter! Church has all the attributes of the typical Christian Orthodox church. It is a beautifully decorated and designed by Carlo Maciachini.

Where to go?

The perfect place to have a breakfast is Il Pane Quotidiano. They have soooo delicious croissant with white chocolate. Il Pane Quotidiano is a sort of the Italian franchise. It is good to know that the one in Viale XX Settembre, the long pedestrian street is open 24/7.

The perfect place to hang out with friends is the funky Urbanis on Piazza della Borsa.

Aaand, for the end: the best ice-cream! The two best ice-cream shops are Gelato Marco and GelateriaZampolli - they have more that 30 delicious flavors.

A & J