by Nina Vaclavikova
Italian actress Lunetta Savino was welcomed at Trieste’s City Hall this week, where she met with the mayor in the Palazzo Municipale’s Salotto Azzurro while in town filming the second season of the popular Libera television series.
Savino, accompanied by Chiara Valenti Omero, president of the Film Commission Friuli Venezia Giulia, was greeted on behalf of the city and introduced to one of Trieste’s most ambitious redevelopment projects: the transformation of Porto Vecchio-Porto Vivo, the former Habsburg-era port area, into a new mixed-use waterfront district.
During the meeting, the mayor outlined the long-term urban regeneration plan, which aims to turn the historic harbor into a vibrant neighborhood for residents, businesses and cultural activities.
Savino, who was born in Bari, reflected on her personal connection to the region and to Trieste in particular.
“I come from Bari, a seaside city very different from Trieste,” she said. “I left when I was very young, just after school, and my first professional performance was in Cormons, in an old Austrian villa. From the beginning, this land welcomed me.”
She said she had returned many times over the years for both theater and film projects and now feels especially connected to Trieste through her role in Libera, where she plays a magistrate transferred to the city.
“In the series, Trieste almost becomes a character itself,” she said. “It is a city that matches my way of being. I feel good here, and I work very well here too.”
Savino has maintained a longstanding relationship with Trieste’s theater scene, particularly through collaborations with the Politeama Rossetti and Teatro La Contrada, as well as through her professional connection with theater director Orazio Bobbio.
Her recent stage work includes La madre, performed at La Contrada in 2023, while on television the success of the first season of Libera has led to the production of a second season.
At the end of the visit, the mayor presented Savino with the official crest of the Comune di Trieste, a symbolic recognition of her artistic career and her connection to the city.
