What to see in Trieste in a single day, the itinerary for those who have only one day available in Friuli Venezia Giulia and do not want to miss the most characteristic things, such as a visit to the cafes of the literati.
Visiting a city in one day is never an easy task, and often only the perspective makes us feel overwhelmed at the start! Some places, however, manage to transmit their spirit and their magic to you even in a very short time, and this is the case with Trieste. Of course, the attractions and places to see would be many, but if you were to find yourself there for just one day, these are the five things that even in such a limited time will make you fully enjoy the Trieste atmosphere!
Miramare Castle
The first essential stop is certainly a visit to the Miramare Castle, perhaps the main attraction of the city. Built in the second half of the nineteenth century as the Trieste residence of the Habsburgs, it stands out for its characteristic location: the Castle stands on a karst promontory, directly on the Gulf of Trieste, offering the particularly suggestive view to which it owes its name.
In addition, it is certainly worth visiting the beautiful adjacent park, a real botanical garden of 22 hectares in which you can find many plant species from all over the world and also a nice and characteristic hummingbird farm.
Center of Trieste
Moving towards the center, it is absolutely impossible not to take a walk in Piazza Unità d'Italia, recently renovated and made even more fascinating by the particular play of light. From there you can admire many architectural works of absolute importance, such as Palazzo Pitteri, Palazzo Model, or the Palace of the Austrian Lieutenancy. Right in front of Piazza Unità, as it is commonly called by the locals, is the Molo Audace with its 246 meter long walkway that will take you practically in the middle of the sea. If you have the chance, the advice is obviously to try to visit it at sunset to have a decidedly breathtaking view before your eyes.
A coffee with the authors
Lovers of literature cannot fail to associate the city of Trieste with some authors of the caliber of Italo Svevo, Umberto Saba or James Joyce, who had made it his city of choice. The best thing about Trieste is that it is still very easy to immerse yourself in the artistic atmosphere of the time and follow in the footsteps of these great writers. All you have to do is walk through the center and enter one of the many historic cafes in the city, such as Caffè San Marco or Caffè degli Specchi, where some of the biggest names in Italian and world literature used to spend hours writing their their works.
Where to eat
But since you don't live by literature alone, at a certain point of your day in Trieste, you will inevitably be hungry! The advice - obvious - is to try the local specialties, for example at Pepi, a typical Trieste trattoria even included in the Michelin guide but with decidedly budget-proof low-cost prices! Play it safe and order porcina, luganighe (which would be sausages), and cragno with kren. You will not regret it. Never.
Victory Lighthouse
Always with a view to taking advantage of the wonderful view that Trieste offers, a very interesting stop could be the visit of the Victory Lighthouse, however, open to the public only on weekends and only from April to October. In addition to its most obvious function, which is to guide night navigation in the Gulf of Trieste, the lighthouse is also an impressive commemorative work in memory of the sailors who fell in the First World War. The visit of the Faro della Vittoria, 70 meters high, is quite demanding from a physical point of view due to the almost infinite internal staircase to climb, but every effort is certainly rewarded by the privileged view of the entire city.
