Italy

Trieste's Austro-Hungarian heyday left her looking gorgeous in a Neoclassical gown. Nature too plays her part, providing rugged cliffs for palaces to perch on, beaches for basking, and that capricious bora wind to keep you on your toes as you promenade the port and piazza.

Before the 20th century

According to one misty legend, Trieste was founded by Japhet, son of the biblical Noah, while another legend grants founding father status to Tergeste, a companion of Jason (of Argonaut fame). More prosaically, however, the Roman Colony of Tergeste (possibly meaning 'market town') was established in 178 BC and it rapidly became a wealthy trading port. The Goths, Byzantines and Lombards followed in succeeding centuries, and in 1202 the city fell to the Venetians. Trieste battled for, and won, its independence; but in 1382, to shake itself free of the domination of Venice, it voluntarily pledged allegiance to King Leopold III of Austria and joined the Holy Roman Empire, and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867. During this time it was the principal Austrian commercial port and shipbuilding center. Vienna and Trieste were joined by a steam railway in 1857. The city remained under Austrian rule until the collapse of the Empire in 1918, when it became a part of Italy.

The 18th and 19th centuries were a prosperous era for the cultured, cosmopolitan Habsburg port. Trieste is still characterised by Viennese architecture, the Neoclassical squares, palaces and coffeehouses from this heyday period as the 'Austrian riviera'. Sigmund Freud, James Joyce and Italo Svevo came here to think and write, while two of Verdi's operas (Il Corsaro and Stifelio) premiered here.

Modern history

During WWII, Trieste was occupied by the German forces, who built the only extermination camp on Italian soil near Trieste at Risiera di San Sabba in 1944; it is believed 20,000 people perished, including 5000 of Trieste's Jews. Local anti-fascists revolted against the Nazis and when New Zealand troops joined them, the German forces had to surrender. At this time members of Tito's forces moved down to occupy Trieste for about five weeks, but were pushed back by the New Zealand 2nd Division. The Allies then occupied Trieste pending the settlement of Italy's border disputes with Belgrade. Troops remained until the city was returned to Italy in 1954. Refugees flocked in from the east and were housed in the former Nazi extermination camp and a former prison.

In 1964 Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was established under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, UNESCO and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Its charter is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries and about 50% of the 5000 scientists who visit each year are from developing countries.

The Treaty of Osimo was signed on 10 November, 1975, which formalised the standing arrangement, dividing the Free Territory of Trieste into two zones. Zone A went to Italy and Zone B to Yugoslavia.

Recent history

Today Trieste is a modern, cosmopolitan city attracting increasing numbers of tourists and scientists to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics and International School for Advanced Studies.

Trieste wouldn't be a sea port worth its salt without a famous sailing regatta; in October 2007 the 39th Barcola sailing regatta - open to all classes of sailboats - will host up to 2000 boats and 200,000 specators.

Coffee lovers will be interested to discover that the home town of Illy Coffee (Illycaffè) is in Trieste. Francesco Illy, a Hungarian who came to Trieste as an officer during WW I, set up his coffee business in 1933, invented the first espresso machine, single-serve coffee pouches and researched new ways of storing coffee. Since 2003, this family-run business has run a University of Coffee ('Universita del Caffe'). Check out the Illy Espressamente concept coffee bar, the first of a projected 700 over the next five years.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

You won't suffer from horrible extremes of heat or cold in seaside Trieste. In summertime you can expect days of mid- to late-20s, with the mercury climbing over 30°C (86°F) only once or twice in July and August. But it's quite possible you will experience extreme wind! The notorious bora can reach speeds of over 150kph and its downhill gusts are worst in winter, when ropes and chains are sometimes strung along pavements and pedestrians cling on to them to stop themselves from being blown away. Summer thunderstorms sweep in several times a month in June and July, slightly less often in August and September. Although they do experience the very occasional below-zero day in winter, its more likely stay above, and you can expect fog half the time from December to March.

Average weather

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Transport

Getting around

Trieste Trasporti (www.triestetrasporti.it) runs local buses, the historic tram, and even three boat routes. Bus 30 connects the train station with Via Roma and the waterfront, and bus 50 runs to the airport. From the Stazione Marittima motorboats travel to nearby Muggia and Barcola several times a day, and to Grignano (Miramar Castle and marine park) from mid-April to mid-October.

Getting there and away

Trieste airport is 33km (20.5mi) northwest of Trieste. Direct daily flights to/from Munich and London Stanstead, and less frequent services to Belgrade arrive here, as well as domestic connections to Rome, Milan and Genoa. A car ferry sails to Durres in Albania twice a week. In summer motorboats travel to Grado and Lignano daily, as well as various points along the Istrian coast in Slovenia and Croatia. Trains run hourly to Gorizia (50min), Udine (90min) and Venice (2hr), and twice a day to Rome (7.5hr). National and international buses operate from the bus station (opposite the train station). Services include Udine (hourly, 75min), and daily trains to Ljubljana (2.75hr), Zagreb (5hr) and Dubrovnik (15hr). Florentia Bus is the operator for Belgrade, and Sofia in Bulgaria.