Explore the city of Trieste discovering its history and monuments, all low cost. From Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia in Colle di San Giusto to the Miramare Castle, on foot through the most beautiful areas of Trieste.
It is nice to discover the various souls of Trieste. The port city has a hilly hinterland and various layers that tell its story, a complex story, which ended only in 1954, the year in which the city definitively returned to be part of the Italian state and became the capital of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The visit I propose here is 100% low cost in the sense that it does not include admission to museums or places where you have to pay a ticket. This does not mean that he is discouraging the museums in the city, which are about twenty and absolutely worthy.
You can start from the sea, from that walkway that extends towards the sea and which is called Molo Audace. The people of Trieste use it for walking, drinking a glass, enjoying the sunset. The name was imposed in 1922 in honor of the destroyer Audace - the first ship of the Italian Navy that arrived in Trieste in 1918. Why go there? because it seems to be in the middle of the sea, because it makes us understand how this city stretches out towards the sea.
Behind the pier is the large, white, airy one Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. Very famous, scenographic, it is the result of a redesign of the buildings completed at the end of the nineteenth century. The Palazzo Comunale, the Hotel Garni, the Palazzo della Prefettura, the Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino (now the seat of the Region), Palazzo Pitteri. The history of the city, its redesign carried out by the Austrian Empire and then by Italy, up to the last interventions in 1999, make us understand how the heart of Trieste has moved here, towards the sea, descending from the oldest one, located in the hills . The palaces of the square are not open to the public, but the atmosphere is still not to be missed, in addition to the view. It is also interesting to have a guide who tells all the interesting historical events that took place in this square.
Behind the square the city unfolds with its cafes and streets full of shops, and starting to head towards the hill of San Giusto, here the history of Roman Trieste comes alive: in via del Roman Theatre you can admire the auditorium of the show space which had a capacity of 6000 spectators and looked directly onto the sea! And yes, the geography of the place has changed a bit.
Another Roman remnant found walking to the top is theArch of Riccardo, whose peculiarity is to be incorporated into a building, a restaurant. The whole area around is very pleasant, with old but restored houses and very intriguing cafes. Arriving towards the top of the Colle di San Giusto the Roman testimonies are numerous; the climb is a bit steep but in the end you reach the Cathedral. A very old church, born from the merger of two previous early Christian basilicas. The visit is free and you can guess the two different buildings, united to give the city a cathedral of a certain importance.
Close to the city Cathedral there is the Castle, a real fortress in a dominant position, from which you can enjoy a wonderful panorama. The visit to the castle requires an entrance ticket; however right at the foot of the ramparts there are other interesting remains of the Roman city, which was developed all over the top.
On the hill of San Giusto a Park of Remembrance has also been created in memory of the fallen: here you can go down to another, interesting part of the historic center via a scenic staircase, called the Giants. This is the "Teresian village" wanted by Maria Theresa of Austria, who had the Grand Canal and dictated the style for all the new homes. Seen on the map it is striking for the regularity of the streets, perpendicular to each other, unlike the older village, which is much more intricate. In a scenographic position at the end of the Grand Canal (which is completely surrounded by bars and cafes) is the church of Sant'Antonio Nuovo, but the Serbian-Orthodox church of San Spiridione also stands here, which can be visited and testifies to the soul multicultural of Trieste.
Two other free places, but whose visit is really not to be missed, are united only by the fact that they are outside the historic center. The first is the Risiera San Sabba, concentration and extermination camp in Italy, installed in an industrial archaeological building located in a peripheral area. The Risiera has been restored and made a museum with essential but effective measures. Admission is free but you can rent an audio guide for 2 euros. You can see the tiny and terrible cells, the work spaces, the courtyard where the crematorium once stood, and a permanent exhibition with documents and videos testifies to the atrocities and crimes committed.
The other place is of a completely different kind, it is the Miramare Castle on the sea in the marine reserve of the same name, surrounded by a luxuriant park. The castle, commissioned by Maximilian of Habsburg, is striking for its candor and position, at the end of a long avenue. Entrance inside the castle is subject to a fee but all the other parts (pier, beach, park) can be visited freely. Above all, the park is beautiful, due to the variety of plants, including exotic ones, and the various gardens, in the Italian style, like a romantic park.
It should be noted that theYouth hostel of Trieste is located right at the entrance to Miramare: the Ostello Tergeste is a bit outside the center but connected by bus 6 to the train station.
