Trieste and Art

Different Styles in Trieste

Teatro Verdi

Neoclassical style: Palazzo Carciotti – Riva III Novembre 13 (M. Pertsch, 1802),
Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi – Piazza Verdi 1 (M. Pertsch, 1801),
Palazzo della Borsa – Piazza della Borsa 14 (Mollari, 1806),
Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo Nuovo – Piazza S. Antonio Nuovo (P. Nobile, 1842).
Eclectic style: Palazzo Gopcevic – Via Rossini 4 (G. Berlam, 1850),
Central Railway station – Piazza della Libertà (1878),
Palazzo della Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà – Piazza della Repubblica (1912),
Palazzo della Posta (1894) and Palazzo delle Ferrovie (1840) – Via Vittorio Veneto.
Art Nouveau Style: Casa Batoli – Piazza della Borsa 7 (M. Fabiani, 1905), other buildings in Art Nouveau style can be seen at Via Commerciale 21, 23 and 25, at Viale XX Settembre 35, at via Tigor 12, and in various other places across town.

The Government Building

The fine façade is characterised by a wide covered balcony dominating the high central colonnade and covered by a Murano glass mosaic in the upper part (where patterns, allegorical symbols and medallions with the Cross of Savoy can be seen) and by a white stone coating in the lower part. At the time of its construction, it faced the garden that occupied half of the square then named Piazza Grande (current Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia) up to 1920. In the early Sixties, the building was then renovated and its furnishing renewed based on the design of Nordio and Cervi architects. The building now hosts the National Government Office in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and the Prefecture of Trieste. The Italian government representative rooms and the reception and overnight-stay rooms for Italian and foreign High Personalities are on the first floor. From the rooms, and especially from the loggias, it is possible to have a striking view of the square, the port, the Gulf and the far Alps on particularly clear days. All this, along with the rich and refined interiors, make this prefecture one of the most prestigious in Italy.
Note: the Building can be visited only on special occasions.

Piazza Unità d’Italia

Piazza Unità

Piazza Unità d’Italia is the main square in Trieste. It is located at the foot of the hill dominated by the castle of San Giusto and faces the Gulf of Trieste, in the Adriatic Sea. It is surrounded by the city’s municipal buildings and other important edifices it is said to be Europe’s largest square located next to the sea (there are not so many squares facing the sea around the world – a very famous one is in Lisbon).

Palazzo Carciotti

It is maybe the finest neoclassical building in the city and was built on order of a rich Greek trader, who then used it as his residence.
The most peculiar feature of Palazzo Carciotti is its façade, characterised by an ashlar-work in the lower part and some ionic columns in the upper part; a majestic copper dome covers the building.

Palazzo Gopcevich

Palazzo Gopcevich is one of the finest and most renowned buildings in Trieste. It was built in the 19th Century, when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria worked for the development of the city.
The building is located along the Canal Grande (Grand Canal), linking the port to the heart of the city.

Piazza della Borsa

Piazza della Borsa is a triangular square that has represented the economic heart of the city for centuries.
This is where the Borsa Vecchia (Old Stock Exchange) – fine example of a neoclassical building – and the Borsa Nuova (Palazzo Dreher – New Stock Exchange) – characterised by a curved façade – are located.

Cathedral of San Giusto

The main religious edifice of the city is located in one of the most symbolic places in Trieste – San Giusto hill.
The basilica was built in the 14th Century on the remains of an ancient Roman building and its two aisles were created by the annexation of two churches – San Giusto on the right and Our Lady of the Assumption on the left.

Church of San Silvestro

The most ancient church of the city rises close to the Roman boundary walls where, according to tradition, Saint Eufemia’s and Saint Tecla’s house were located.
It was sold to the Helvetic community of Trieste and has been property of the Holy Trinity Church ever since.

The Greek and Serbian Orthodox Churches

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Spyridon

The Greek Orthodox Chiesa di San Nicolò dei Greci features a neoclassical façade and a beautifully decorated 18th Century structure with rich religious furnishings.
The Serbian Orthodox Church of San Spiridione was opened to worshippers in 1868. Built in a neobyzantine style, with magnificent interiors lavished in gold.