by Valentina Salcedo
The Trieste Municipality is set to reopen its doors to citizens and tourists on Saturday, December 16, for the highly anticipated Christmas edition of “Let’s Visit the Town Hall.”
The announcement was made this morning (December 6) at the Municipal Council Chamber, with Mayor Roberto Dipiazza, Director of the Department of Innovation and Citizen Services Lorenzo Bandelli, Communication Office Manager Barbara Borsi, and FAI Youth Group Vice Director for Trieste Agnese Olivi in attendance.
“We are thrilled to announce the resumption of visits to the Town Hall, the most central and renowned palace in Trieste, following the success of the FAI Days on October 14 and 15,” stated Lorenzo Bandelli, Director of the Department of Innovation and Citizen Services. “The success of those days inspired us to restart the visits, after a hiatus due to Covid, of an initiative inaugurated in the ’90s. The visit is open to all citizens and tourists interested in getting a closer look at the environments and events of the local political-administrative history, by prior reservation. I thank the entire staff who worked with great enthusiasm to organize the event.”
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza emphasized that this initiative presents a special and genuinely interesting opportunity for citizens and tourists to enter, perhaps for the first time, the Council Chamber, accompanied by experts tasked with explaining and appreciating the importance and meaning of the artifacts and artworks present.
The event, in collaboration with FAI Giovani – Friuli Venezia Giulia, includes a guided tour in Italian of some areas of the Town Hall normally closed to the public, such as the Council Chamber, the Mayor’s Gallery, and the Blue Parlor. Notably, for this special edition of “Let’s Visit the Town Hall,” the visits will also be accompanied by historical and artistic explanations and analysis of the paintings by the city’s expert, Maurizio Lorber.
In the Council Chamber, participants will have the opportunity to admire Cesare Dell’Acqua’s majestic canvas, “The Commercial Prosperity of Trieste,” commissioned by the Municipality in 1875, and learn about its artistic significance and allegorical meanings.
The itinerary also includes a visit to the Mayor’s Gallery, displaying portraits of Trieste’s mayors and city leaders, as well as the Blue Parlor, a representation room for institutional visits, featuring Hans Makart’s imposing “The Allegory of Navigation.”
Visitors will also be shown a significant selection of documents from the General Archive, exhibited in the Municipal Council Chamber for this occasion. These include correspondence between Cesare Dell’Acqua and Francesco Hermet, a representative of the Municipal Council who sponsored the painting’s creation, the painting’s sketch, documentation regarding damages suffered by Dell’Acqua’s painting and the Municipal Palace due to Italian bombardments in the summer of 1917, and historical views of Unity Square.
Not to be missed is the panoramic view from the Council Chamber’s windows: the square overlooking the sea, particularly enchanting with decorated trees and Christmas lights.
Participation in the event is free, with mandatory online reservation through the Eventbrite system starting from tomorrow, December 7, at 8:30 AM, until December 14 at 12:30 PM, subject to availability.
Reservations can also be made in person at the Citizen Desk (SAC) at Via Punta del Forno 2, from Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and on Monday and Wednesday also from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM.
The event can be booked by accessing the official website of the Municipality of Trieste https://www.comune.trieste.it/it/visitiamo-il-municipio-225703.
Participants should meet at a designated outdoor location in front of the Town Hall entrance – Piazza Unità d’Italia, 4 (in case of bad weather, under the adjacent arcades) – and must present the Eventbrite reservation receipt (even digitally, e.g., on a smartphone) for reception and registration activities.
Punctuality is recommended, as latecomers cannot be guaranteed entry due to organizational reasons.
The guided tours, lasting approximately 40 minutes, are scheduled as follows (groups of 40 people each):
MORNING
- 10:00 AM (meeting at 9:45 AM)
- 11:00 AM (meeting at 10:45 AM)
- 12:00 PM (meeting at 11:45 AM)
AFTERNOON
- 2:30 PM (meeting at 2:15 PM)
- 3:30 PM (meeting at 3:15 PM)
- 4:30 PM (meeting at 4:15 PM)
The event is coordinated by the Communication Office – Department of Innovation and Citizen Services.
For phone inquiries: Citizen Desk (SAC) of the Municipality of Trieste Phone: 040 675 7222, active from Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and also from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Email: sportelloalcittadino@comune.trieste.it
