Trieste is an Italian port city with a history with the Austrian Empire and a Roman past. Here are some amazing places to checkout.
Citta Vecchai (Old Town)
A mostly pedestrian zone filled with medieval houses on narrow and crooked streets and open to exploring. We will doing some walking around this area in our stop here.
Arco Di Riccardo (The Arch of Riccardo)
A Roman arch that Charlemagne or Richard the Lionheart passed through into the city in the past. It is the heart of old Trieste and the Roman gate and the walls that went with it were built by Augustus in 33 BC. In front of the arch you can find old Roman pavement. The restaurant next door incorporates part of the arch if you want to grab a meal at the Arcoriccardo.
Piazza dell’Unita d’italia
It is the largest square in Trieste surrounded by historic buildings and cafes including. It faces the Adriatic Sea. You can see massive palaces including the 1882 palazzo of Lloyd Triestino on the south side and on the east side is the 1876 Palazzo del Municipio (City Hall). It is also a plaza from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
It has been occasionally used for performances and Green Day did a concert here in 2016. On July 2, 1914, the boat decorated for mourning and carrying the remains of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie landed on the quayside of the square.
Castello Di San Giusto (San Giusto Castle)
The fortress goes back to Roman times then the Venetians and built upon that before being pulled down in the 14th century to be rebuilt by the Hapsburgs. You can access the complex from a ramp ending in a wooden drawbridge going into a cross-vaulted hall and entering the Piazzale delle Milizie (Square of the Troops) where stairs lead to the ramparts. The Lapidario Tergestino preserves all the 130 Roman stones finds in the city. The castle complex includes a armory museum and the old Imperial Captain’s House. The views from the castle are also worth checking out. On the way up to castle stop and checkout the interior of the 17th –century Jesuit church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday, 10 am – 4:30 pm, closed on Monday.
Admission: €6, reduced price €4, castle only €1.
Address: Piazza della Cattedrale 3
Teatro Romano (Roman theatre)
It is compact Roman theatre that was constructed in the 1st Century AD and could accommodate 3,500 spectators. It lies at the foot of San Giusto hill.
Hours: Open every day of the year
Admission: Free
Address: Via del Teatro Romano, 34121 Trieste TS, Italy
II Faro della Vittoria (Victory Lighthouse)
It lights the bay but also serves as a memorial to those who died in World War I. Under the statue is the anchor of the torpedo-boat Audace, which was the first Italian ship that entered the port of Trieste in Nov. 3, 1918. It was completed in 1927.
Hours: April, May, June and September, Friday: 15.00 – 19.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday: 10.00am – 1.00pm and 3.00pm – 7.00pm. July and August, Wednesday to Sunday: 10.00am – 1.00pm and 4.00pm – 7.00pm
For more information on openings in the fall go to the website.
Admission: Free
Address: Strada del Friuli 141, Trieste – Italy
Museo di Storia, Arte e Orto Lapidario (Museum of History and Art and Lapidary Garden)
The museum contains area archeological, historical and art from the area and throughout Europe including Roman and medieval sculptures and epigraphs along with Egyptian, Greek and pre-Roman antiques.
Hours: Sunday,- Saturday, 10 am – 5pm; closed Mondays.
Admission: Free
Address: Piazza della Cattedrale, 1, 34124 Trieste TS, Italy
Maramare Castle
A 19th century castle constructed on the Gulf of Trieste. It was built in the 1860s for the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian who later became Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico.
All rooms contain original 19th century furnishings. Many coats of arms of the Second Mexican Empire decorate the castle, as well as stone ornamentations on the exterior depicting the Aztec eagle.
The castle ground includes an extensive cliff and seashore park of 54 acres.
You will have to take bus 6 to get there and one stop is by the Trieste train station.
Hours: Daily, 9 am to 6:30pm.
Admission: April 1 – May 11, €8 adult and reduced price is €4 ; May 12 to Dec. 30 €12 adult and reduced price €6. EU citizens are free. Free admission on the first Sundays of the month.
Address: Viale Miramare, 34151 Trieste TS, Italy
