{"id":831,"date":"2021-01-26T11:35:42","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T11:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/?p=831"},"modified":"2021-01-26T11:38:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-26T11:38:06","slug":"city-of-arts-trieste-where-different-cultures-meet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/2021\/01\/26\/city-of-arts-trieste-where-different-cultures-meet\/","title":{"rendered":"City of arts Trieste \u2013 where different cultures meet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u00a9Bigstock.com\/Gimas\"

\u00a9Bigstock.com\/Gimas<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s no doubt that Trieste has a special status. The city in north-eastern Italy, only a few kilometres from the Slovenian border, can look back on an eventful history that left its mark on every corner of the capital of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Having been an important port for Austria and later the Austria-Hungarian Empire before \u201closing\u201d its hinterland, Trieste even used to be almost isolated on the east-west border. The city of arts now is an important free port and popular holiday destination that even managed to increase its significance over the years thanks to amazing beaches and enthralling sights. Which sights, you ask? Well, that\u2019s what we\u2019re here for.<\/p>\n

A pawn of great rulers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The region around Trieste has always been very important. Analysing the entire history of the coastal city would go beyond the scope of what we\u2019re doing here, so let\u2019s just focus on the key points. The region used to be the home of Celtic and Illyrian tribes. When the Romans started to conquer Istria from 177 BC onward, they established several military camps. The Tergeste colony would follow around 50 years later. From then on, the area predominantly served as an exclusive tourist resort and, for some time, even as a border fortress. Hit hard by the Migration Period, the Bishops of Trieste would eventually rule for several centuries until the conquest by Venice lead to conflicts that lasted 180 years. The voluntary submission in 1382 put Trieste into Habsburg-Austrian hands until the end of the First World War.<\/p>\n

Despite heavy initial resistance, Trieste managed to stabilise during the Habsburg rule. Achieving free port status in 1719 plus the Austrian conquest of Venice gave the city a leading position in international trade. This wealth resulted in remarkable architectural achievements during the Wilhelminian time eventually clashing with growing industrialisation and burgeoning nationalism. Fully hijacked by fascist powers after the First World War, the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 defined most of the region as the Free Territory of Trieste. The neutral state was later dissolved. Trieste and its close surroundings went to Italy, the hinterland and north-western Istria to Yugoslavia. It took until 1975 for this demarcation to be officially confirmed. Trieste only lost its marginal geographic and economic position in the early 2000s when Slovenia joined the EU and the Schengen area.<\/p>\n

Piazza dell\u2019Unit\u00e0 d\u2019Italia and Piazza Verdi<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\u00a9Bigstock.com\/NPershaj\"

\u00a9Bigstock.com\/NPershaj<\/p><\/div>\n

Trieste leaves us \u2013 and you \u2013 spoilt for choice. There are so many thrilling places and almost magical sights waiting for curious minds, one does wonder where to start. Well, why don\u2019t you join us on a tour of Trieste from square to square, district to district, to cherry-pick genuine gems? We start in central Trieste on Piazza dell\u2019Unit\u00e0 d\u2019Italia. Being the largest square in the entire city, it is also known as Piazza Grande. Several neoclassical and baroque buildings frame the Piazza on three sides, such as:<\/p>\n