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Travelling around Italy Hotels - San Floriano del Collio |
Trieste
Trieste rises on the homonymous gulf, surrounded by the Carsic region, just next to the Slovenian border.
The city has developed thanks to its harbour's traffic, becoming a lively commercial and industrial centre, a cross-roads of people and cultures from Italy and the Balkans, central Europe and the Mediterranean regions.
At the origins seat of a prehistoric fortified village or "Castelliere", Trieste became later an important trade center, meeting place for Carnic and Celtic populations and for those coming from Istria and Veneto regions.
After harsh fightings between Romans and Istrian populations, Trieste became part of the "X Regio Venetia et Istria" and, under the Reign of Cesare (56 b.C.), it was declared a Roman Colony. In 33 b.C., Consul Ottaviano built strong walls around the city, a piece of which can still be seen today in the famous "Arco di Riccardo".
The city converted to Christianity in the 2nd century a.C. and had many Martyrs, among who San Giusto, the city's patron. In the Middle Ages it was submitted to Goths, Longobards, Byzantines and Francs. In the 10th century Lotario III made Trieste a Bishops' feudal property until the 12th and 13th century when the city gained its freedom again (as "Libero Comune"). It was later forced to make acts of submission to the Republic of Venice and in 1382 to ask for Austrian protection t
o Leopoldo III. This event marked the political future of Trieste for the following 500 years.
Under the Reign of Carlo IV the city was declared "porto franco", a privileged place for trade and commerce. Empress Maria Teresa of Austria exploited this favourable economic condition and through the concession of many economic advantages, drew many merchants and employers from all over Europe. More and more people began to arrive in Trieste, bringing with them their different cultures, languages and religions.
After the French dominination, Trieste became again an Austrian territory and its port, industries and shipping companies were strenghtened.
With the following decline of the Austrian Empire, on November 3rd 1918, Trieste was annexed to the Reign of Italy. After the armistice of 1943, it became a local province under German control and was finally annexed to Italy only on 26 October 1954. In 1977 the Treathy of Osimo estabilished the borders between Italy and Yugoslavia (nowadays Croatia and Slovenia).
Since 1963 Trieste became the administrative seat of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia and is now the province less extended of Italy.
Many were the artists captured by Trieste's charming atmosphere; among them: James Joyce, Sigmund Freud, Rainer Maria Rilke, Giovanni Winckelmann and local artists such as: Umberto Saba, Scipio Slataper, Italo Svevo.
What to see:
Among the most interesting places to see there are: the famous place "Piazza Libertà" with its beautiful neoclassical palaces "Palazzo Comunale", "Palazzo della Prefettura" (by architect Artmann), "Palazzo del Lloyd" (by architect Ferstel); "Palazzo della Borsa" on the homonymous s
quare "Piazza della Borsa"; "Canal Grande" built in 1756 in order to allow boats to unload goods in the center of the city; the two castles: "Castello di San Giusto" and "Castello di Miramare".
As regards its religious properties there are many churches belonging to different religions:among which "Cattedrale di San Giusto", "Chiesa di Sant'Antonio","Chiesa di San Nicolò", "Chiesa di San Spiridione", the Synagogue and the Evangelic Church