Thursday May 30 started out with some sun-- we even had breakfast on the deck. At about 1:30 p.m. torrential rains started and only let up at in the evening.
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| Breakfast on the balcony |
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Walking down the stairs in our apartment building- will try and find out the history-
it's a beautiful building |
Our destination was the fountain in Piazza Unita D'Italia where were meeting the Free Tour with Guru Walks.
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| Crossing the Grand Canal, Trieste-- located halfway between the bus station and Piazza Unità d'Italia. It was built between 1754-56 by the Venetian Matteo Pirona so that boats could come directly into the city centre to unload their goods. |
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| Alonso meeting James Joyce |
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| Joyce (1882- 1941) spent a numbers of years in Trieste on and off between 1904-1915 as an English teacher. He completed Dubliners in Trieste as well as a number of other works. During WWI, he moved to Zurich but returned to Trieste in 1919. Due to disappointment with the new Italian administration he moved to Paris after nine months, where he would remain the next 20 years. |
It turned out that we and one other couple visiting from Portugal were the only ones on the walking tour. Our guide, Murad, was originally from Azerbaijan, but had lived in Prague and then in Slovenia for ten years and Trieste for the past four years. He had a job as a junior accountant just before Covid, but after being laid off, started leading tours. He had a deep knowledge of the history of the city and was very serious about giving us a detailed tour.
We spent quite a bit of the time in the Piazza dell 'Unità D'Italia. Murad talked about the fascinating history of Trieste. In the far distant past, the city became part of the Roman republic in 177 BC. The city was under Venetian rule for more than a century (1203- 1382) and then became a Habsburg imperial free city and in 1719, a free port. In 1809, it was briefly ceded to the French as part of the Illyrian Provinces. The Austrians returned to power in 1814 and Trieste became a Habsburg imperial free city again. In 1888, a monument was erected to commemorate the 500th anniversary of connection with Austria. In the 19th century, Trieste was the Habsburg's most important seaport and the 4th largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest and Prague). At the turn of the 20th century, it emerged as an important hub for literature and music.
Following WWI, Trieste became part of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1920, the Italian Fascist Blackshirts burnt down the Trieste National Hall, the social and economic centre for the Slovene minority in the city. Mussolini proclaimed the anti-Jewish Racial Laws in 1938 in Trieste.
In 1943, the city became part of the Italian Social Republic, the Nazi puppet state that was created by the Nazis from the beginning of the German occupation of Italy in September 1943 until the surrender of German troops in Italy in May 1945.
In May 1945, Trieste was taken by Yugoslav forces. In 1947, the City becomes part of the Free Territory of Trieste of the United Nations Security Council. The territory was divided into two zones, A and B. Zone A was occupied and governed by the Allied Military Government (US and Britain) and included the city of Trieste. Zone B was occupied by Yugoslavia. In 1954, the vast majority of Zone A, including the city of Trieste became part of Italy, while Zone B and four villages from Zone A became part of Yugoslavia divided between Slovenia and Croatia.
In 1970, Trieste becomes capital of the Friuli-Venezia region. The population of the city is around 205,000. Slovenia is only about 8 km east and 10-15 km southeast of the city, while Croatia is about 30 km to the south of the city. Many Slovenians feel that Trieste should be part of Slovenia, not Italy.
Murad stressed that Trieste was known as a "City of Coffee" and a "City of Literature". There are many historic cafês in Trieste and many important writers lived there. Coffee played an important role in the city's economy under Austria-Hungary rule. Murad also said that Jewish people made a significant contribution to the economy and culture of Trieste and that until 1920, Trieste generally was accepting of Jews and other minorities. Many important Trieste authors had Jewish roots, though some converted.
We asked Murad why there were so few people on the Free Tour. He said that Trieste did not have a lot of tourists compared to other cities in Italy and that it is often neglected by the central government. A very underrated fascinating city in our opinion.
The Town Hall was erected between 1873-75. It was here from a stage located in front of the building that Benito Mussolini announced the promulgation of the Italian racial laws in 1938. There is a plaque detailing this event.
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Town Hall-- Murad said it has one nickname "the birdcage".
The two Moors on the tower, ring the bell every 15 minutes. |
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| Plaque detailing the September 18, 1938 proclamation of the Racial Laws |
Murad told us a fascinating story about the fountain of the four continents that is in front of the Town Hall. It was created between 1751 and 1754 by the Bergamo sculptor Giovanni Battista Mazzoleni. It was to become a symbol of the prosperity of Trieste as a port city. There are figures of people with animals, symbolizing Europe (with a horse), Asia (camel), Africa (lion) and America (crocodile!). Between them are statues embodying the four main rivers for the people of that time- Nile, Ganges, La Plata and Danube.
In 1938, the fountain was dismantled in order to free the square in honour of the arrival of Mussolini. It was returned to the square only in 1970 and then displaced again. In 2000, as part of the reconstruction of the Piazza, the fountain was moved back to the centre.
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| The theatre was renamed from Theatre Grande to Guiseppe Verdi Theatre on January 27, 1901 after an unscheduled city council meeting was held on the very night that the great composer died. |
We walked to the Old Stock Exchange building, just as it started to rain very hard. It was founded in 1755 by Empress Maria Theresa. It is one of the oldest commodities exchanges in the world. The building now houses the Chamber of Commerce and the stock exchange is across the street in a more modern building.
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| Old Stock Exchange (now Chamber of Commerce) and new Borsa (stock exchange) across the street |
We also saw some Stolpersteine on a street not too far away.
Building with stolpersteine in front
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One family- Parents and one child murdered in Auschwitz in 1943.
Three other children were deported to Auschwitz but survived. |
Murad wanted to show us the Grand Canal, the Roman ruins and writers' corner, but the rain was really coming down so we decided to bail (so to speak). He was very serious guide. Trieste is really a cross-roads city with a fascinating history.
After the rain eased a bit (just for a short time), we went to see if the fish store the waiter on Wednesday night had told us about was open. Unfortunately, most stores seem to take a long siesta, so it was closed until 4:30 p.m. We decided to get some cheese and charcuterie which we did from a nearby store and then had lunch at Palato Salsamenteria.
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| Outside of the shop/resto |
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| One could buy everything on the menu to take home |
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| We ordered a number of "tapas" and a glass of sparkling wine-- the ham served with mustard and horseradish was delicious. We also had meatballs, whipped cod and some breaded zucchini and eggplant |
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| Some people eating outside in the rain |
We walked back to the apartment in torrential rain, taking cover a few times, but the rain was not letting up. We had to change all our clothes and shoes and then headed out to the Magazzino Delle Idee (Warehouse of Ideas), to see a photography exhibit entitled: Io Non Scendo (I won't come down): Women who climb trees and look into the distance."
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| Poster for exhibit |
The exhibit brings together two hundred anonymous photos dating from 1870 to 1970, depicting women in trees. Together with the images, were 15 stories that weave together photography and literature to tell the liberating power of women's ascent. The exhibit was organized by Erpac (Regional Authority for Cultural Heritage). The unknown faces are matched with the voices of Louise May Alcott, Simone de Beauvoir, Astrid Lindgren, Angela Carter and others telling the story of women's emancipation. The message was that we must learn to climb trees if we want to change the world. "And if someone invites us to put our feet on earth, the answer is and will be only one: "I won't come down."
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| United States, ca 1950 |
The exhibit notes that tree-climbing women have always existed, but it was "Little Women" published in 1868 that gave the impetus to having one's photograph taken climbing a tree. Jo March, the most iconic of the sisters in Louisa May Alcott's masterpiece was adored for her rebellious and courageous nature. She loved to read especially in the apple tree in front of her house. Jo is the author's alter ego, with whom Simone de Beauvoir, among others, identified. Also there were stories about Pippi Longstocking, from author Astrid Lindgren who loved climbing trees and Julia Butterfly Hill who spent 738 days in a 1000 year old sequoia. The exhibition also paid tribute to three great women climbers from Trieste. Short stories about these women are interspersed with the anonymous photos.
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| Belgrade, Serbia, March 31, 1959 |
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| United States, ca 1900 |
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| Serbia, 1950 |
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| France, ca 1950 |
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| Germany, ca 1950 |
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| United States, 1870 |
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| United States, 1953 |
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| France, 1939- on the back "To my dear little mother, on her daughter's 17th birthday" |
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| Russia, ca 1950 |
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| France, ca 1930 |
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| Germany, ca 1930 |
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| Egypt, ca 1930 |
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| Hungary, ca 1930 |
One section of the exhibit had only photos from Ukraine. The section's introduction notes: "From the oak tree of Taras Hryhorovch Shevchenko, Ukrainian national poet, to the memory of the Buča massacre, perpetuated in March 2022, this section of anonymous images, belong to a period of peace. These images are a tribute to Ukrainian women and to all women who live in war".
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| The part of the exhibit with the Ukrainian photos |
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| Kiev, Ukraine, 1964-- on the back "to Liuba from Nina" |
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| Ukraine, ca 1930 |
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| Chernivtsi, Ukraine, ca 1950 |
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| Alonso in the forest looking at the tree pictures |
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| In the enlargement, United States, ca 1950 |
We really enjoyed the exhibit. Very creative way of telling the story of women reaching for the treetops and saying "we won't come down". A bit ironic, given the present Italian government's right wing attitude to women's rights.
It started to rain heavily again and we headed back to our apartment. We first stopped at a lovely wine store with a tasting area. We sampled a few wines and then bought a bottle to take back to the apartment. We had a very nice charcuterie plate with a salad and a glass of red wine. It is unfortunately forecast to rain all night and part of Thursday.
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