Today the Historic Cafès of Trieste, still popular meeting places, are ideal venues for debates and other cultural events and places for spending solitary or social hours immersed in a warm, quiet and elegant atmosphere of times past.
The Caffé Tommaseo (Riva Tre Novembre, tel. 040 366765), located on the sea front, has been a meeting place for businessmen and politicians since 1830. the interior design, sophisticated and elegant with the sober and discreet furnishing featuring mirrors imported 100 years ago from Belgium and Thonet-style curved wooden chairs.
The Caffé San Marco (Via Battisti 18, tel. 040 371373), was opened on January 3rd 1914 and completely destroyed during the First World War. In the 1920s after being rebuilt it became the meeting place of many local intellectuals such as Saba, Svevo and Giotti.
The interior, partly revised in the 1930s, recalls the typical atmosphere of a Viennese Cafè.
Caffé Pasticceria Pirona (Largo Barriera Vecchia 12, tel. 636046). One of the regular patrons of this Cafè was James Joyce. Savouring its refined Austrian cakes and particulary its fine wines, it was here that he conceived "Ulysses".
