Trieste is the most outstanding city in northeastern Italy, not just for its very transnational spirit but more so for its commitment to its history. The region is also the base of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics.

Trieste, the capital of Italy’s northeastern region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, besides being a port town, is a city full of political, religious and cultural history. It shares its border with Slovenia.

A friend of mine who basically needed a book that should frankly be titled ‘European History for Dummies,’ we were fortunate to have a Triestine friend there who took us around the city and told us about the history of the region from the time when Trieste existed as part of Austria, later the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then to the post-World War I period when it got annexed to Italy in 1920.

Getting to Trieste from Gorizia, where I was somewhat based, was anything but a problem. Trenitalia, Italy’s primary railway service, has countless trains that run to Trieste from Gorizia very hour which takes about an hour or so. Trieste Centrale, a rather busy train station, is not far from the Canale Grande (Grand Canal), a site much more picturesque than that of the Venetian Grand Canal where one can simply not tear through the crowd of tourists.

One of Trieste’s principal sites, the Piazza Unità d'Italia, which is also said to be the biggest piazza in Europe, happens to be a very eventful social, political and commercial centre. The 18th century Quattro Continenti fountain stands at the centre of the piazza surrounded by splendid architecture, which includes the Prefettura or the government palace.

The open market next to the piazza the day we reached there was brimming with Central Asian people and that was precisely where I also happened to have some Hyderabadi biryani; also forced down the throat of an American-Italian friend, who appeared to have enjoyed the meal. Once done with the random wandering around the magnificent piazza, it did not take me long to find myself in front of the Roman amphitheatre, one of the many Roman relics in Trieste. Divided into four sections, the construction of this brick wall structure dates back to 30BC and had the capacity of hosting up to 6,000 people. A building near the amphitheatre that stood out rather singularly was described by the Triestine friend as one that was used in the earlier centuries as a watch-tower, again alluding to the region’s turbulent political history.

Moving forward and proceeding through the narrow and twisted street structures typical of Trieste, we reached the Capitoline hill with the Cathedral of San Giusto, the foundations of which were laid in the 6th century. Close to the cathedral, stands the Castle of San Giusto, the bastions that offer a thorough view of the cityscape.

Another site that our Triestine friend nearly made us visit, since we were pretty tired after rambling through the streets of the city, was the Castle of Miramare, a rare instance of architectural splendor constructed between1856 and 1860 on the orders of Austrian Archduke Maximilian. Its embellished casements simply delineate the majesty of the edifice with interesting designs in the form Islamic art illustrations. These days, the castle has been turned into a museum with a garden surrounding it and offers a singular view of Grignano Bay and the Adriatic Sea. Watching the sunset from the Trieste harbour, which of course faces west, an arresting spectacle, was one of the things I was advised to do and so was it on my mind.

Trieste’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan spirit comes out not only through the different ethnicities which inhabit it but also through the manifestations of different religions and faith-within-a-faith throughout the city with the Serb-Orthodox Temple of Holy Trinity and St. Spiridio, the Cathedral of San Giusto, the churches of San Nicolò dei Greci, of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Basilica of San Silvestro all around it. Also there is the Israelite Temple of Trieste. Interestingly, this region, which has braved several wars and endured repressive regimes, with its overwhelming internationalist spirit, is also the base of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics situated near the Miramare Park.

Trieste, to my estimation, is perhaps the most outstanding city in northeastern Italy, not just for its very transnational spirit but more so for its commitment to its history.