Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, Trieste

This is not simply a piazza, but the very heart of Trieste: its lounge, its soul, its business center, as well as the commercial and political center. Very busy of course during the week , it plays an important role on Sunday mornings when thousands of people descend on this large European piazza that overlooks the sea. Here, they drink coffee, meet friends, colleagues and acquaintances, all in a very unique atmosphere. The piazza also accommodates many concerts, festivals, shows and exhibitions. Shaped in a perfect rectangle and surrounded by amazing palaces: the Municipio with its clock tower; the Stratti, housing General Insurance and also the Caffè degli Specchi and the Palazzo del Lloyd Trestino, which once housed the oldest Italian navigation company. Finally there is also the Prefettura or government palace and the lovely Art Nouveau building that houses the fine Duca d'Aosta hotel. And at the piazza's center stands the 18th'century Quattro Continenti fountain, the former terminal of the Maria Teresa d'Austria aqueduct. It would be a grave sin to visit Trieste and not have a coffee in this lovely piazza.