Trieste, Italy

Trieste is a city in North-East Italy. Once a very influential and powerful center of politics, literature, music, art and culture under Austrian-Hungarian dominion, its importance fell into decline towards the end of the 20th century, and today, Trieste is often forgotten as tourists head off to the big Italian cities like Rome and Milan. It is, however, a very charming underestimated city, with a quiet and lovely almost Eastern European atmosphere, several pubs and cafes, some stunning architecture and a beautiful sea view. It was also, for a while, the residence of famous Irish writer James Joyce. Trieste is the most international city in the region, suspended between a glorious past of "Little Vienna on the Sea" and the present cosmopolitan city. A journey of discovery of the city's history, literature and art, from the Roman era to medieval wonders, to the Habsburg splendour. The wealth of architectural styles in the palaces in Trieste is remarkable: Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Eclectic and Baroque, coexisting in a harmonious blend with Roman remains, eighteenth century buildings and Hapsburg style buildings. Coffee is one of the flagship products of Trieste. A Free Port for the importation of coffee since the eighteenth century, the port of Trieste is the most important in the Mediterranean for the trade of coffee: the beans that arrive here are not only intended for local coffee roasters but also for those all around the world. But coffee in Trieste is also in rhythm with literature: many and beautiful are the literary cafes, which are historical premises with retro charm, frequented by poets and writers such as James Joyce, Italo Svevo, and Umberto Saba.