"A Hapsburg Delight" Trieste by mikey_e

I've been to Trieste twice and it always seems to be under the same circumstances. Trieste is where I end my trip to Eastern Europe by spending my last night in Trieste. It has the effect of colouring my impressions of the city, but Trieste is such a wonderful place that it is hard to stay depressed for long. The city is a spectacular collection of cultures and architectural treasures but lacks the arrogance and popularity of many other Italian cities. It is not hard to see why this city was such a point of contention, first between Italy and Austria-Hungary and then between Italy and Yugoslavia. Each of the region's cultures can lay claim to some part of the city's heritage and all have made their mark on Trieste in a such a way that it cannot be compared to any other city in Italy.

Palazzo Carciotti from the waterfront

Like Venice, the history and importance of Trieste is linked to the Adriatic. It may be surprising that two cities so close to one another could both grow rich on the the spoils of the sea, but Trieste itself was not part of Italy until after the First World War and thus was often a rival for the Italians' pride and joy, Venezia. The Hapsburgs' exit to the Adriatic attracted various peoples with interests all along the Sea and for that reason the city has an impressive collection of places of worship of varying faiths. Trieste has large churches of the Catholic, Serbian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox cults, a diversity that was amplified by the presence of Croats, Slovenes (this was once the largest Slovene city), Jews and others who came to do business and live in Trieste. Even today, a walk through the municipal garage is instructive about the importance of Trieste: most cars will be from the former Yugoslavia rather than Italy.

Palazzo Comunale

Once of the most unique characteristics of Trieste is its wealth. Its obviously not as well off as cities like Bologna or Milan, but Trieste is surprisingly well-to-do considering that the region, Friuli, has traditionally been one of the poor regions of northern Italy, providing many of the Italian settlers who established large communities in North and South America. The Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia and Piazza della Borsa are both incredible examples of the city's affluence, a wealth that was invested back into the architectural heritage of Trieste. Visitors are never at a loss for impressive buildings and examples of Hapsburg architecture at which to gawk, and those who love large, open spaces will face the indecision of spending time in either the Piazza or in the smaller but still airy Canale Grande area of the city.