Fun and entertainment Trieste

Imagine an old gas station restored as a cultural centre and a place to have a drink after dark. The Stazione Rogers, a building now owned by the municipality of Trieste, looks like an artistic wasteland. You can visit an exhibition, read, surf the net, attend project presentations... Typical local products are also on offer and in the evenings, young people meet there to sip a Spritz. Tyres are used as table supports, the seat pallets, all painted in red and white.

Among Trieste's historic cafés, the Tommaseo is a must. Opened in 1825, it is the oldest in the city. Step inside and you'll be transported back in time to a Belle Époque atmosphere, as you admire the succession of rooms adorned with molded ceilings and magnificent chandeliers, which also give the place a late ^19th-century Parisian brasserie feel. Here, you can enjoy a spritz - the Triestinians' favorite aperitif - in this Art Deco decor or on the terrace. Restaurant service at lunchtime and in the evening for a traditional Italian meal, either on the land or the sea.

The lyric theater of Trieste is famous throughout Europe for its international operetta festival. Located near Piazza Unità d'Italia, it was built between 1798 and 1801 to a design by Gian Antonio Selva, the architect of La Fenice in Venice. The facades overlooking the Gulf of Trieste and Piazza Verdi were designed by Matteo Pertsch, himself a student of the architect of La Scala in Milan. All the greatest operas have been performed there (by Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Wagner, Strauss...). It offers a rich and varied program.

You can't miss it, this café is located opposite the Stock Exchange with its large, wide open terrace. Every day, summer and winter with the heated umbrellas, the coffee tables are taken over by the young people who come here to start the evening. But the bar also serves coffee in the morning with croissants, tea with pastries, chips, peanuts or tapas with aperitivo. Numerous cocktails and small catering (snacking, club sandwiches). At weekends, the evenings are animated with DJs in front.

Opened in 1914 and rebuilt after World War I, this historic Trieste café, near the synagogue, was a meeting place for the city's writers and intellectuals such as James Joyce, Umberto Saba and Italo Svevo. The atmosphere is warm and inviting with a drink and a slice of cake in the beautiful rooms with large mirrors and Liberty style decoration. A bookshop has also been set up in the café. There is a small restaurant at lunchtime and in the evening, with good wines from the region. The prices are very reasonable.

This is the "Trieste Salon", founded in 1893 and frequented by James Joyce and Italo Svevo. On the first floor of a palace overlooking Unity Square, this café has kept all its luster. Inside, large retro rooms with luxurious decoration and on the main square, the delicious terrace to sunbathe, to see and be seen. A must for the art of living in the Triestine style, which elegantly comes alive ataperitivo time. The right place to practice ordering your coffee like a resident of the city.

Halfway between pub and brasserie, Osteria da Marino is a historic venue, opened in 1925, and a must for those who want to capture the Triestino spirit. The room retains its 1930s decor, with wood panelling, a fireplace and a piano, making for a warm and inviting setting. Frequented by a student crowd, it serves beers or, ataperitivo time, around a cheese/cured meats and olives platter, the house specialty, white fragolino, a very sweet, sparkling sweet white wine. Hot dishes too, grilled meats in general...

A friendly wine bar, ideal for an aperitif with delicious appetizers. The choice of wines and cheeses from the region and the rest of Italy is impressive. The house offers a bistronomy formula with antipasti platters or hot local dishes. It also offers take-away sales, a wine cellar and a store selling regional gourmet products. There is a queue, it is often full, you have to wait, but that is part of the game and the pleasure of a different shopping. A whole local art of living valued by the sympathetic owner!

Recently renovated, this cafeteria has a taste for coffee excellence. In its small cups for espresso, macchiato and cappuccino, you're tempted to have at least two. In summer, it's the iced coffee that's all the rage. The recipe for success? The rigorous selection of green coffees, the smooth cream and the balanced aroma of the Viennese brand Julius Meinl. 1kg packs are available for sale on site or online. You might also fancy a cup of tea, a hot chocolate or a milkshake... Viennese pastries, cakes and savoury snacks are also available.