For literature lovers, especially those who love the books and characters of Italo Svevo, walking through the streets of Trieste will be like being the protagonists in his novels.
The city centre has preserved its early 20th century allure, so that the visitors can personally see the places described and lived by Svevo’s characters, including Zeno Cosini, Alfonso Nitti, Emilio Brentani.
The most haunted and cherished spots in his novels are: Piazza Unità d’Italia (at the time named Piazza Grande); the narrow streets of Cittavecchia, where he used to make his daily walks; Tergesteo, the former seat of the Union Bank where he worked for 18 years and got the inspiration for his first novel “A Life”; via S. Nicolò with the seat of the Berlitz School, where he met the Irish novelist James Joyce, a friend and an essential boost for his career as a writer.
You can’t miss the historical cafés of the city, where Svevo used to meet and speak with his fellow writers. The most popular one is probably Caffè Stella Polare, found in Borgo Teresiano, just opposite the beautiful Church of Sant’Antonio Nuovo.
