One Last Walk to the Hospital

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Victor Caneva

Photographs by Victor Caneva

The day had finally come – it was time for Ashley’s final chemotherapy infusion. Six months of chemo had taken a toll on Ashley’s endurance, so we grabbed an early ride to Ospedale Maggiore with some gracious friends. I thought it fitting to end this series of walks the way they started – from the hospital. The plan was to support my wife as she entered the oncology department to give cancer one last kick in the teeth and then surprise her with flowers when she triumphantly exited the building. In the meantime, I decided to explore nearby.

Although Viale XX Settembre is one of Trieste’s most popular pedestrian zones, I had not spent much time there and was curious about what I could discover. It was just after 8:30 AM when I arrived at the western end of the viale, where water spilled out of the two mouths of Janus, the Roman god of transitions and doorways. This silver fountain marks the beginning (or end) of the bustling pedestrian area and was made from casts of two masks found on a cornice of the Politeama Rossetti, the famous local theater.

The water flowing out of the mouths gave an air of tranquility to a place that is usually packed with people, especially as it was illuminated by the soft morning light. I couldn’t help but wonder, however, if the cascading emissions from the two faces aren’t a subliminal warning to young Triestini: “This is what can happen if you consume too many aperitivi.” 

Viale XX Settembre used to be known as Via dell’ Acquedotto because the lane rests on the site of an ancient aqueduct. The Romans first constructed the aqueduct in the 2nd century BC, but it was destroyed when the Lombards conquered Trieste in 568 AD. Empress Maria Theresa then had a “modern aqueduct” constructed in the same location from 1749 to 1751, which funneled water from the San Giovanni district to the urban center of town, culminating at the former locations of the Fountain of the Four Continents and the Fountain of Neptune. Water still flows under the viale’s pavement today.

Multitudinous cafes with open-air seating under the protection of both umbrellas and shady trees are situated along Viale XX Settembre, which stretches over a kilometer. Many of the trees were planted according to the plans of famous Triestino, Domenico Rossetti, who in 1808 developed the area into “The Walk of the Aqueduct,” a popular place for 19th-century Triestini to enjoy the outdoors. The viale remains a stellar place for a stroll. As I passed restaurants, shops of every kind, and the odd theater, I enjoyed seeing the viale wake up in the morning, having only seen the area in the hubbub of the lunch or aperitivo hour. This part of Trieste, like many others, has discernable moods depending on the time of day, something I find both fascinating and comforting.

Wanting to check out the Giardino Pubblico Muzio de Tommasini, or simply the Giardino Pubblico to most Triestini, I cut over a few streets and was welcomed to the park by an impressive statue of, who else, Domenico Rossetti. Rosetti, a civic prosecutor and a renaissance man of many talents and interests, had a huge impact on this part of the city. 

Giardino Pubblico, a natural oasis in a busy part of Trieste, is made up of over 30,000 square meters of green space and features a wide variety of trees and shrubs. The land was purchased by the city of Trieste from Benedictine nuns and was originally proposed as a site for a church and residences, but the project never materialized and mayor Muzio de Tommasini started constructing the gardens in 1854.

I walked past the statue of Rossetti and entered the gardens, amazed at how comfortable I was in the shade of the stately trees. The weather in Trieste this summer has been a welcome surprise. In Florida, I would have already been chased out of the park by mosquitos the size of pomeranians, sweating profusely as I escaped their thirst for my blood. It did not take me long to discover the gardens served to memorialize notable residents of the city.

Busts of esteemed Triestini, 31 in total, were scattered throughout the park amid the greenery, making the giardino a sublime place to learn more about Trieste’s history. Reflecting on our changing season of life as I slowly circumnavigated the garden, I photographed the depictions of some of these Triestino heroes, realizing how much I still have to learn about the city.

After some more wandering, It was finally time to find a place to buy some flowers for Ashley. Savoring the chance to lift her spirits as she finished this part of her battle, I checked out some nearby flower shops. The woman working at Il Petalo on Via Cesare Battisti made her a bouquet fit for a celebration using vibrant yellows and oranges, bright colors to signify moving on to brighter days. Hurrying back to the hospital, I was happy. Happy to mark this milestone with Ashley and glad to have explored just a little bit more of this city I love. I have truly enjoyed these walks and I’m going to keep on exploring and documenting what I learn – but now I don’t have to start at the hospital.