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Trieste
welcome in Trieste
THE CITY’S HISTORY
Regarding Trieste’s origin’s, experts, sometimes put
aside the historical severity which sets them apart,
and do not scorn the ancient legends which dictate that the city was
founded by Tergeste, a friend of Jason and the Argonauts who wanted
to settle there. Other legends overlap this one, even calling
Noah into the game together with his son Japheth who came to
these shores to create the realm of Giapidia in Carso. In reality, the
city was founded by a tribe of protovenetians and the first undeniable
evidence of this can be seen from the prehistoric villages
which were defended by stone walls built on the hilltops, at San
Giusto and
Carso. Besides
the mythical
aura surrounding
the town, precise
references to
prehistoric times
which are not as
clear exist regarding
the etymology
of the
ancient name of
Trieste. There
are two suppositions
– the first
defers to Teregestum
which
means built
three times,
whilst the other
suggests that the
name comes
from the indoeuropean
Terg
(which means
market) and
from the
Venetian Este, or
city. In either case the town’s position will have contributed to its
destiny: the Romans, realising the strategic importance of these
lands, sent their legions and fleet to conquest it, throwing out the
Istri who were allied to the Carthaginians. After a series of events
and a conclusive victory, the Romans left a number of garrisons on
Carso and in the existing centre on the hills which dominates the
city. And so this is the ancient Tergeste, a Roman colony, founded
around 178 B.C. By including Tergeste in the Latin sphere, on one
hand led to other battles with the neighbouring peoples whilst on
the other assured an era of commercial prosperity, cultural refinement
and urban development and a road network created around
the time of Octavian (around 30 B.C.), a trend which was consolidated
during the Imperial period. Christianity, which became
widespread in this area from around the end of the first century
A.D., led to a period of persecution. Amongst its martyrs we can
find Giusto, who later became the city’s patron saint. On the fall
of the Western Empire, with the barbaric invasions the city fell
under the Goth reign who in turn were expelled by the Byzantine
Emperor Giustiniano, until, after years of battles and revolts final-
ly in 568, Trieste was completely destroyed by the Longobards.
With its reconstruction the numerus tergestinus, a military organism
was founded to defend the territory. Dark ages followed,
however, in 804 the act of Placity del risano was established which
vindicated the population from Trieste and nearby Istria freeing
them from political subjugation and servitude. In the meantime,
whilst under Carolingio rule, the bishops acquired considerable
power with the title of barons, and here the figure of Gastaldo (the
people or the bishop’s elected magistrate) and the power of the
Venetians loomed. The Bishop-Barons sought to impede the uprising
and to confront Venice but in 1202, the Doge Enrico Dandolo
took over the city forcing the population into obedience to the
Serenissima. With the help of the Patriarchs of Aquileia, Trieste
rebelled beginning a long series of wars between Venice and the
Patriarch. In the end, however, the town succumbed. After the
Chioggia war, Trieste at last had its freedom recognised; Venice
continued to be a threat and for this reason the city went under the
protection of Leopold of Austria in 1382 – a “devotion” which was
to last for some five centuries.
With this, a period of darkness finishes, which included such
episodes as the Marco Ranfo conspiracy, which is worth of mention
as he had tried to overthrow the Community making way for
a Lordship or Signoria in the XIV century, by affirming a patrician
state made up of 13 noble families or houses, who would reign
over the town’s destiny for centuries. After a short Spanish rule in
the XVI century, and a series of disasters such as plague and famine,
during the 18th century the city was at last able to open a new
chapter.
The concession in 1719 of a Free Port, a natural opening to the
sea for the Hapsburg Empire, gave way to a long period of prosperity,
the abolition of customs brought a large number of merchants
and businessmen from all over Europe and the
Mediterranean thus increasing the towns wellbeing as well as the
urban development and favoured a demographic increase which
had never before been recorded. In particular during Maria
Teresa’s reign, important naval companies were founded and grew
such as Lloyd Triestino, insurance companies such as the Generali
and the RAS and new industries, activities which greatly contributed
to the city’s economic development. Meanwhile, between the
end of the XVIII and the beginning of the XIX century, the city
was briefly occupied three times by Napoleon’s army.
The years from the second half of the 19th century until the
time of the Italian war of independence, irredentism flourished
until the First World War, which sanctioned with its outcome, not
only the crushing of Central Europe of which Trieste had been a
part for centuries, and reunited the city with Italy on November 3
1918. During the Second World War Trieste and the Venezia
Giulia region became part of a territory administered by the
German government on September 8 1943.
At the end of this conflict, the territory’s destiny was for a long
time unresolved. After the “40 day” occupation by the Yugoslav
troops under Marshal Tito, the town was to spend some 9 years
under Anglo-American military rule before arriving at a compromise
over the question of the eastern Italian border with the
Yugoslav federation, which sought a larger territorial area. In the
end, after years of tension and uncertainty, over its future, Trieste
was returned to Italy on October 26 1954.