Trieste

Located between the sea and the extraordinary natural beauty of the Carso plateau, Trieste is one of the cities with the best quality of life in Italy. The origins of Trieste date back to Roman and Medieval times, but the city's modern history began in 1740, the year in which Maria Theresa of Austria ascended to the throne. Trieste was soon transformed into the main sea port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a thriving and prosperous city attracting merchants, bankers and insurance companies. Literature and the arts also flourished in this period: Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba, two prominent figures of Italian literature, were born in Trieste in the second half of the 19th century; James Joyce spent several years in the city around 1915. After becoming part of Italy at the end of World War I, Trieste enjoyed a renewed period of growth and activity in the 1930s but was left marginalised in the international climate that emerged after War World II. Today Trieste is regaining its importance as a trading centre and has established itself as a centre of scientific and technological excellence. Trieste....