Tucked away in the far north eastern corner of the Italian Adriatic is the astonishingly beautiful port city of Trieste. It is surrounded by mountains and sea, a stunning location for what is an exceptionally hilly city! While perhaps only one or two kilometres of the waterfront are given over to walkways for relaxing ambles affording magnificent views of the city and the Gulf of Trieste. All of this is amid sizeable yachting marinas, but Trieste is a working port, with the rest of the extensive coastline being taken up by port life and significant container depots loading and unloading shipping bound to and from Turkey and Albania primarily from what I could see!
The Piazza Unita D’Italia is the centre piece of Trieste, but many a lavish building adorn the streets of the city centre, and they all speak of the wealth that has poured through the port over the centuries. It all comes together wonderfully in the Piazza, with three sides teeming with ornate and palatial buildings open to the sea, affording views out over the Gulf, and leading out to the Molo Audace, a 246 metre walkway/pier out into the water. It was renamed Audace in 1922 in recognition of the first Italian Naval boat to arrive in Trieste in November 1918 as the city prepared to be transferred to Italian rule! I can imagine on a hot summer’s eve, a walk out on the Molo might afford just a whiff of fresh air, but it is popular throughout the year with locals and tourists alike, and on the right evening, as I witnessed, it can afford truly stunning sunsets. Trieste is not short of wind though, and it suffers from a strong Bora wind off the Adriatic especially in winter that is never a pleasant experience.
The city has had a truly fascinating history, and it still isn’t a 100 years back under Italian rule. In February 2019 that will “technically” be celebrated but even since 1919 it has had its issues! For five hundred years Trieste was the main seaport of the Austro-Hungarian Empire under the Hapsburgs. When Franz Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo to start the First World War, his body was taken by sea to Trieste before being met by the Grand Duke and returned to Vienna on a Ceremonial train. Only at the end of that war, and the ultimate demise of the Hapsburg Empire did Trieste comeback under the Italian flag.
The drama for Trieste wasn’t over though, as during the Second World War it was occupied for a long time by Germany, who sadly utilised a “discreet” building far from the centre as a concentration camp, the only such building on Italian soil. Known as the Risiera di San Sabba it is not very far from the football stadium if you are in Trieste and want to pay your respects. At the end of WWII the city was liberated by New Zealand troops coming in from the West, and Tito’s forces heading down the mountains from Slovenia in the East, leading to a lengthy stand off ensuing during which time Trieste returned to its status as a Free Port until 1952! I came across a banner in the centre of the city saying “Welcome to the Free State of Trieste, comeback US and UK”!! Some of the details in this paragraph might explain why Padova fans were taunting the Triestina fans with “Italia, Italia”.
A soon as you step out of the railway station in Trieste, the architecture is not classically Italian, and in the park right across from the station you will find a statue of Elisabetta, the Empress of Austria, a lady who loved to visit Triest as the Germanic world calls the city. James Joyce was also smitten, as many are, including me now, and he is celebrated with a statue and a plaque on a small bridge across the Canal that runs up through the city. It is said that Trieste was partly the inspiration for Ulysses as well as one of it’s most famous sons Italo Svevo, a famous writer in his own right.
Given the city’s history and proximity to Slovenia, Trst as the Slovenians would call Trieste is recognised as the second language of the city, making it a uniquely bilingual Italian city. In another part of this edition of FW’s you’ll find my day trip to Slovenia, and as you’ll discover, despite the proximity, the transport connections between the two countries doesn’t make for a smooth and rapid trip!
Trieste was the 60th town or city I have visited in Italy, and I wanted to be able to write about having spotted major differences in attitudes and ways, but you need to be there for longer than just a few days to get a proper handle on such nuances. If you like your coffee, Trieste is the home of Illy coffee, a name taken from Iliad period and a dofting of the cap at an even more ancient history of the city, which might explain amongst Triestina’s many nicknames is Il Grecki, The Greeks!!
Getting to the stadium
Finding the Nereo Rocco Stadium is an adventure, especially if you want to walk, and want to get there by seafront walking if you can, like I tried. You can’t go all the way, fly-over roads, container depots and ultimately a mountain with no pavements through the car tunnel eventually force the walk, for a second time on to a steep upward road away from the coast. It took me 90 minutes at a fairly even pace from my hotel close to the railway station, and a map was needed to negotiate! The more direct road from the centre requires diversions as tunnels for traffic get in the way too! Buses 10, 20, and 48 for sure head from the centre, or you could always cab it!! If you are thinking of day tripping and headed off again by train etc, give yourself plenty of time!! As I discovered from a boat crossing the water to Muggia the day after the game, even when in the vicinity out at sea, with a clear view of the city, it’s various undulations hide the floodlights completely.
One note regarding catering in the proximity of the stadium, the Pizzeria dello Stadio and Bar Stadio were both closed! A couple of garages with shops are there, but if the game is on a Sunday, fuel is by automatic card payment only and the shop is closed! I did see two small Bars, and a coffee shop, but nowhere that would serve you a proper plate of food anywhere close by!
Getting to Trieste
Flights from Uk to Treviso or Venezia are the nearest airports, Treviso has a “slow” train connection to Trieste, the best way from either airport is to get to Mestre railway station and a faster, regular service will still take around 2 hours to get to Trieste.
Football Adventures with James Rendall 