A Day in Trieste: Literary Walks, Sweet Treats & Hidden Wine Gems
Our second day in Trieste began as all good days should, with a coffee. We sat at a metal table on the side of the Grand Canal, watching people stroll by, seagulls eyeing the crumbs of pastries as they fell to the ground, and Vespas speeding past with commuters heading to work. We were near James Joyce’s Bridge and the large metal coin dedicated to Maria Theresa.
After finishing our coffee, we made our way to the square to meet our guide for a free walking tour. It was a small group—just five of us—which made the experience feel personal and unrushed.
We began by learning about Maria Theresa of Austria, the formidable 18th-century empress who profoundly shaped the identity and fortune of Trieste. Under her rule, Trieste transformed from a modest coastal town into the thriving main seaport of the Habsburg Empire. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Adriatic, she declared Trieste a free port in 1719, stimulating trade and drawing merchants from across Europe and the Mediterranean. She invested in infrastructure, shipyards, and customs buildings, but also in culture and civil society, establishing schools, hospitals, and religious tolerance. Her policies encouraged immigration, resulting in a diverse, cosmopolitan city that embraced Greeks, Jews, Armenians, and Serbs alike. The legacy of her reign is still felt in the city’s architecture, culture, and open spirit.
As we strolled, we heard a few tidbits about Castello Miramare, the romantic, cliffside residence of Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian. Completed in 1860, the castle was intended as a serene royal retreat, but Maximilian’s ill-fated venture to rule Mexico and subsequent execution left a haunting note to its opulence.
Down at the seaside end of the Grand Canal, our guide spoke of Trieste’s seafaring past. Once filled with sails and rigging, the canal served as a lifeline for merchant ships arriving from across the Adriatic and beyond, reinforcing the city’s vital maritime role in Europe’s trade networks.
Crossing one of the small footbridges, we reached the life-size statue of James Joyce, depicted mid-stride as if hurrying to a café. We learned how Joyce arrived in Trieste in 1904, virtually penniless, and took up work teaching English at the Berlitz School. He remained here for over a decade, longer than he lived in Dublin. During this time, he published Dubliners, began A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and laid the foundations for Ulysses. The multicultural, polyglot atmosphere of Trieste fed his creativity and is woven throughout his early writing.
From there, we made our way to the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Spyridon, stepping inside to admire its serene beauty and golden frescoes. Built between 1861 and 1868 after the split between the Serbian and Greek Orthodox communities, the church was designed by architect Carlo Maciachini in a richly Byzantine style. It features a central dome flanked by four bell towers and is adorned with elaborate mosaics, marble from Istria and Carrara, and icons imported from 19th-century Russia. A particularly striking detail is the silver sanctuary lamp donated by Tsar Paul I of Russia during his visit to Trieste in 1782. The church not only serves as a spiritual center but also as a symbol of Trieste’s legacy of religious plurality and its long-standing Serbian community.
Not far from there, we arrived at Pasticceria La Bomboniera, a charming pastry shop that’s been open since 1836 and still bakes its sweets in antique iron ovens. It was here we were introduced to the story of Presnitz, a decadent spiral pastry closely tied to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, or Empress Sisi. During one of her visits to Trieste, she was served the rich dessert and reportedly adored it. The Presnitz is a coiled roll of buttery puff pastry filled with a spiced mixture of dried figs, raisins, apricots, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and a hint of grappa or marsala. It’s believed that the name Presnitz comes from “Preis Prinzessin”—“Prize of the Princess”—possibly in her honor. It’s still made today following the 19th-century recipe, and it’s as decadent and regal as you might expect.
Our walk continued through Trieste’s literary past as we reached the statue of Umberto Saba, the renowned poet and contemporary of Joyce. We visited his historic bookstore, “Libreria Antiquaria Umberto Saba“, still open today. Saba ran the shop himself and often wrote surrounded by his books. His poetry, filled with introspective emotion and psychological insight, gives voice to the inner world of 20th-century Italians and to the soul of Trieste itself.
From there, we passed the Roman Amphitheater once more, tucked into the slope of San Giusto Hill, a reminder of the city’s ancient roots under the Roman Empire. Then it was back to Piazza Unità d’Italia, the heart of Trieste. With its grand Habsburg-era buildings and open view to the sea, it’s the largest seafront square in Europe.
This square is also a site of deep historical significance. In September 1938, in a speech delivered precisely in Piazza Unità, Benito Mussolini announced the promulgation of the racial laws that would shape Italy’s fascist regime. These laws, which targeted Jewish Italians, excluded them from professions in education, government, and certain social spheres. Mussolini’s speech in Trieste marked a dark turning point for Italy, as it officially aligned the country with Nazi racial ideologies. The square, typically a gathering place for locals, became a symbol of the regime’s grip on the city and its people during this time.
With our tour wrapped up, we popped over to Pizzium for a quick pizza and beer before heading back to our hotel for a little downtime.
As evening rolled in, we headed back out in search of dinner. One thing we’ve noticed as North Americans is our tendency to eat earlier than most Europeans. At 6:00 p.m., the city was still in that sleepy in-between phase; most restaurants don’t reopen from their afternoon break until at least 7:00. Enter: the buffet restaurant.
IYKYK—Not to be confused with an all-you-can-eat setup, a buffet here is more like a cozy neighborhood bar. You can stand or sit, order a prosecco, wine, or beer, and enjoy a few cicchetti—bite-sized snacks to tide you over. We sampled:
- Sarde in saor – sweet and sour marinated sardines with onions and raisins
- Baccalà mantecato – whipped salt cod on crostini
- Polpette – little meatballs bursting with flavor
- Crostini – topped with olives, anchovies, and local cheeses
I absolutely love this concept, just enough to satisfy without spoiling dinner, and entirely civilized.
Finally, after a few false starts with restaurants that opened a little too late for us, we stumbled upon a cozy little gem called Enoteca Nanut. What a find. Luca, the owner, is a passionate oenophile, and his tiny enoteca is a treasure trove of rare and regional wines. We started with glasses of local white wine and bruschetta outside, then retreated inside to a candlelit back room that felt like a little cellar tucked away from the world. The suggested red wine was so good, we purchased a second bottle to enjoy later.
We both ordered the veal lasagna, and it was phenomenal. Rich, layered, and deeply comforting—the pasta sheets impossibly thin, the sauce slow-cooked and intense. We lingered over it, both silently agreeing: quite possibly the best lasagna we’ve ever had.
Content and sleepy, we wandered through the quiet streets, back to our hotel, already dreaming of our next adventure.
