WHAT'S ON THIS
WEEKEND
30 May - 8th June 2014
Quote of the day
The
future belongs to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor
Roosevelt
2014
Giro d'Italia race: Trieste under the
spotlight
This famous cycling race on
Sunday
will give the city alot of sparkle and action
as there will be numerous
tourists and visitors. Many roads will not be
open to vehicles and there will
be a special acrobatic show by the Italian
airforce, the Frecce Tricolori at
around 15:30 downtown.
Exhibits for bike lovers to see:
Cottur, the oldest, traditional bike dealer in
Trieste will have an exhibit on
cyclists from 1914 - 2014 in the art gallery
in Piazza Unita'. Open Sat. 31/5
from 10:00 -23:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 -
20:00. At the gallery in Palazzo
Coswtanzi behind Piazza Unita', there's a
photography show on Fausto Coppi,
famous cycling champion. Open Sat. 31/5 from
10:00 -23:00 and on Sunday from
10:00 - 20:00.
Monday,
2nd June: Italian Republic Day
This is the most important
Italian national holiday and there will be
several celebrations in Piazza
Unita' downtown starting at 10:00 with the
flag ceremony. At 17:00 there will
be a show by the National Bersaglieri
Association and at 17:30, another show by
flag-waving performers and musicians. At
18:40, the prefect of Trieste will
read the message delivered by the President of
the Italian Republic after
which, the there will be a concert
performance by
the Orchestra of the local
music school Tartini.
Wednesday
4 June at
21:00: "Viva la Gente- Up
with People" show at the Rossetti Theatre
This amazing show has been held,
through the
years, in over 60 countries and it emphasizes
the participation and ties
among youngsters
of all cultural
backgrounds. They are defined young
ambassadors of peace. Performing at the
Rossetti theatre in Viale XX settembre.
For info call toll free nr.
800090373 or check www.teatroverdi-trieste.com
Friday 6
June at 17:30 at the renowned art school,
Scuola del Vedere
Art expert Luca Vergeriowill give
a brief
introduction on the history of frescoes and a
special demo-performance on how
to make a digital frescoe by the qualified
experts of Artemuro , will take
place in via Rittmeyer 18, 1st floor. For info
call 3478554008. Via Rittmeyer
is towards the end of via Udine
Music
festival 6 - 7 - 8
June at
the San Giovanni Park
This festival, organized with the
support by Unesco, originated in France in
1982 and expanded to many other
countries. In
Trieste there will be many
artists playing pop to rock music, Goa Trance
to Electronic rhythms, Reggae to Hip
Hop music. There will also be
digital art, mapping, street art and
conferences, workshops and more. How to get
there: Bus 6 from ICTP ( get off at
the last stop).
For more info:
www.eventiesagre.it/Eventi_Musicali/21084675_Festa+Della+Musica.html
TOURING
THIS AREA
Visit
Trieste's Lighthouse
Trieste's
lighthouse, Faro della Vittoria,
that you can spot from Barcola was inaugurated
in 1927 by King Vittorio
Emanuele III. It is dedicated to the sailors
who perished in WW1. It is open
every Saturday and Sunday from 15:00 - 19:00.
Don't miss
the wonderful view of the city from the
top. Take bus 42 or 44 from Piazza Oberdan.
Keep an
eye on the opening of the famous Tram di
Opicina
around the end of June!
You will experience a spectacular
ride up to the karst in this unusual hybrid
tramway and funicular railway that
links Piazza Oberdan with the village of
IOpicina in the karst. The line,
originally opened in 1902, has been
suspended every now and again over the years
for renovation and has been closed
since 2012. A
tram ride in Trieste is a
must!
Guided tour of
Trieste every day at 10.30 a.m.: A 2
hours guided
walking tour through the main sites and
monuments of Trieste. The tour is in
Italian and English and costs euro 7/pers.
Book your tour by calling the FVG
Tourist Office in via dell' Orologio 1 (in
Piazza Unità): 040 3478312.
The Natural
History Museum downtown has a collection of
meteorites
ongoing until July 2014. In fact, following the
disintegration of a
meteorite at
Chelybinsk, Russia, in 2013, the museum
decided to host
a display of some original fragments. It
is in Via dei Tominz 4, open Mondays -
Saturdays, from 9.00 - 14.00. Take buses
11, 18 or 22 to go there.
The Miramare
Castle is
right next to the ICTP and is open every day -
except Monday mornngs - from
9.00 to 18.30. Entrance to the surrounding
park is free (8.00 - 16.00, until
the end of February). The location, gardens,
castle with the lovely decor and
furnishings, paintings, rooms full of history
are not to be missed. Ticket:
Euro 4/head. For more info: www.castello-miramare.it
The Castle of Duino is
one of the most
attractive castles in Europe and is still the
official residence of the Torre e
Tasso royal family. From its cliff top
location there is a stunning view of the
sea as it overlooks a small fishing village
and is surrounded by colourful,
extensive gardens. Inside, you can admire the
furnishings, paintings, books and
mementoes collected over centuries; visit its
beautiful park and the World War
2 bunker. Open
every day from 9:30 - 16:30.
The Natural
Reserve of
Miramare, WWF, is located in a building
inside the park of Miramare
and is open on Saturdays and Sundays
from 10:00 - 13:00 and 14:00 - 16:00. Entrance
costs Euro 2,50/head. www.riservamarinamiramare.it/
The
Giant
Cave
- Grotta Gigante
is considered the largest tourist cave in the
world, situated in the Karst half
an hour from the city centre. An exclusive
feature of the cave is the
horizontal pendulum, constructed by university
researchers in order to
calculate the slightest movements of the
earth's crust. Visiting times every
hour: 10:00 - 18:00. Each visit lasts one
hour. Entrance ticket: Euro
11/each. For groups of over 15 persons:
Euro 5/head. Take bus 42 from Piazza Oberdan
and get off at Borgo Grotta,
Sgonico – proceed by foot for 5 minutes –
follow road sign for Grotta Gigante.
Wear comfortable shoes, no heels. Check
website: www.grottagigante.it
The
Revoltella Modern Art Museum is located
downtown; it was founded in Trieste
in 1872
by Baron Pasquale
Revoltella who left his house
to
the city (located in Piazza Venezia) after he
passed away. It still displays
all the art works, furniture and books of his
time. The main building was built
in 1858, designed by Friedrich
Hitzig and later on, in 1907
the City acquired the Brunner Building
located nearby in order to expand the original
collection. This building has
been completely utilized only since 1963,
following its restructuring of Carlo
Scarpa. Its entrance
is from Via Diaz 27. It has a remarkable
collection of modern art (1860 to
1970), baroque art and 1700s and 1800s
furniture, located in a superb
environment. Not to be missed! Open from 10:00
- 19:00, closed on Tuesdays.
The
Science Centre Immaginario scientifico
Museum is located in the wonderful
Grignano bay, below the Adriatico guesthouse
in Trieste. It is an interactive
and multimedia science museum using original
exhibition techniques and
innovative educational methodologies. As a
matter of fact, it is not just a
museum but a lively place, where visitors can
interact with objects and
exhibits. The Science Centre consists of three
main sections:
FENOMENA,
where
all exhibits can not only be watched but first
and foremost be touched.
KALEIDO, one of the most peculiar and
innovative sections that hosts
stimulating multimedia exhibitions with
spectacular images, which combine scientific
contents and emotional involvement
through original texts and music. COSMO, a
rigid-dome planetarium with a 5
meter diameter and a projection system with
1.600 stars. It invites visitors to
find out about the wonders of star motion.
GUIDED VISITS to the Science
Centre including Fenomena and
Kaleido sections and the planetarium (Cosmo)
are organised on a case-by-case
basis according to visitors, their age, needs
and time available. Open on
Sundays, 10:00
- 20:00. For info: Call
040224424 or see
www.immaginarioscientifico.it/en_grignano_museo
NATURE
AT ITS BEST:
Hiking
in Val Rosandra (half or full day), Trieste
Provided
the weather is fine and sunny, the Val
Rosandra Valley encloses a remarkable natural
environment and a walk through its paths, and
by the stream and natural ponds,
surrounded by typical carsic vegetation is
worth it. Make sure you have good
sneakers on and enough water. Walk along
colour-marked footpaths, each marked
by CAI (Italian Alpine Club), ranging from
very easy paths to others that
require certain ability. There are easily
accessible caves for speleologists
and archaeology lovers. You can reach the
Valley by taking Bus 40
from the Central Train Station in Trieste
and getting off in Bagnoli della
Rosandra.
THERMAL
SWIMMING POOL
- The Acquamarina thermal pool
(towards the end of the seafront, close to
the Ausonia bathing establishment) at Molo f.lli Bandiera 1,
Trieste, is equipped
with a swimming pool, jacuzzi tubs,
saunas, a fitness and massage centre and a
lot more. The pool has salt water at
a temperature of 30-32 degrees and is
therapeutic for whomever suffers from
pains, sprains and else. There are acquagym
and other courses organized in the
evenings. It is open to the public for
swimming only, but timetables can be
awkward as
on Mon, Wed & Fri it's
open from 7.40 - 13.00; Tue & Thur from
10.20 -13.00 & from 15.40 -
17.00; Sat
7.40 - 13.00; Sun 7.40 -
11.40. Tickets cost euro 6,60/head for the
pool only - one is allowed to stay
in the pool for 80 minutes -, if you include
jacuzzi with pool, it costs euro
9,10.
Take
bus
8 from Roiano or from the train station. For info
see: www.2001team.com/acquamarina/
or call 040 301100.
HISTORICAL CAFES IN TRIESTE
Caffe' Tommaseo was founded in
1830 by
Tommaso Marcato coming from Padua. The Café
immediately became a privileged
meeting place for artists, businessmen and
politicians; in 1848 it was renamed
in honour of the writer and patriot from
Dalmatia, Tommaseo. Famous for having
introduced at the beginning of the century the
novelty of ice-cream, Café
Tommaseo is a bright, sophisticated and
elegant place: the mirrors, which were
brought directly from Belgium about one
hundred years ago, the chairs made in
bent wood and the decorations, which are the
work of a painter from Trieste
Giuseppe Gatteri, all stand out with elegance.
Caffè Stella
Polare is situated in the
heart of the Teresiano borough,
next to the Serbian Orthodox Church of San
Spiridione and very close to Piazza
Sant'Antonio. It started as a typical
Austrian-Hungarian Café, with the
classical decorations of stuccoes and mirrors
which are still partly present
and for years the place was a refuge for
shopkeepers and intellectuals coming
from Trieste and abroad; with the end of the
Second World War and the arrival
in the city of the Anglo-Americans, this Café
became a famous ballroom: from
here many young women from Trieste sailed for
the United States, happy wives of
young American soldiers.
Caffe' degli
Specchi was opened in
1839,
founded and managed by the Greek Nicolò
Priovolo. The Café was first on the
ground floor of Palazzo Stratti, in that same
Piazza Grande (which became
Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia in 1918) that
continues to represent the heart of
the city. Thanks to this special position, the
Caffè degli Specchi immediately
became a privileged place where to follow all
the historical, political,
economic and cultural happenings of the city
of Trieste. Over the years the
Caffè degli Specchi was managed by many
different owners and it underwent great
changes: in the period following the Second
World War, for instance, the Café
was requisitioned by the Anglo-American allied
forces, and it was then that the
Royal Navy emblems were placed inside.
The cosy Bar
ex
Urbanis came to life from the ashes of a
pastry shop in the first half of
the nineteenth century and it is made precious
by a mosaic floor which bears
the date of its foundation:1832.
Opened in 1914,
Caffè
San Marco immediately became a meeting
place for newspaper readers and a
laboratory for the production of fake
passports, which were allegedly needed by
anti-Austrian patriots to flee from Italy. It
was completely destroyed by the
Austrians during the war, but rebuilt to
become, in the twenties, a meeting
place for many intellectuals from Trieste,
among whom Saba and Svevo. The
interior proposes the typical atmosphere of
the Viennese Cafés: the engraved
wooden counter, the nudes painted on the
medallions on the walls, the obsessive
repetition of coffee leaves on the
decorations, the marble tables with their
cast iron legs, the mirrors and the original
frescoes.
The most regular
patron
of the Caffé Pasticceria Pirona was
James Joyce, who actually devised
his "Ulysses" masterpiece here, while tasting
an Austrian pastry and
sipping a glass of high quality vintage wine;
in this famous pastry shop the
visitor can taste sophisticated cakes and
specialties from Trieste, and the
original furnishing of the time has been
preserved.
ICTP's
Administration takes no
responsibility whatsoever for the correctness
or completeness of the above information.
Good
luck and best wishes to everybody, this is
my last WOTW ! CG