by InTrieste
In Trieste, a city long defined by its close-knit sense of community, a former municipal space is being transformed into something far more meaningful: a refuge for children with cancer and the families who care for them.
This week, city officials and local supporters unveiled Il Nido di Sveva (“Sveva’s Nest”), a new recreational center created by the association IoTifoSveva, alongside plans for four temporary apartments near the pediatric hospital to house families navigating oncology treatment.
The project takes its name and inspiration from Sveva, a young Trieste basketball player diagnosed with a serious oncological illness at age seven. Her parents, Marta and Paolo, turned their family’s experience into a broader mission: helping children undergoing treatment reclaim a sense of normalcy.
“Suddenly, normal life disappears,” Marta Bassi, Sveva’s mother, said at the presentation. “We wanted a place where children could be children again, not patients.”
Located in Via Mascagni, the new center has been designed as a flexible and welcoming environment rather than a clinical facility. Inside are reading spaces, an area for school and early childhood activities, a movement and play zone, a cinema corner and even a dedicated music room.
The initiative emerged through a collaboration between the Cerbone Group, the IoTifoSveva association, Rotary clubs and other private partners, with the city providing logistical and structural support. Furniture for the center was donated by Rotary representatives, while municipal work helped convert what had once been a rented storage space into a community hub.
Municipal Councillor Elisa Lodi described the partnership as an example of how public institutions can support local social initiatives in practical ways.
The city has also approved the free use of four apartments on Strada di Fiume, close to the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo children’s hospital. The housing will provide temporary accommodation for families arriving in Trieste before or after a child’s hospitalization, easing both financial and logistical burdens during treatment.
The agreement, approved by the municipal council earlier this year, grants the association expanded premises for up to four years, with the possibility of renewal.
For Lorenzo Cerbone, whose family business helped drive the effort, the project is less a completed achievement than a beginning.
“Nothing like this is built alone,” he said, emphasizing the volunteer labor and donated expertise that made the center possible.
In a region where healthcare often draws families far from home, the combination of recreational space and nearby housing reflects a growing recognition that treatment involves more than medicine alone. For the families arriving at Burlo Garofolo in moments of profound uncertainty, Trieste is attempting to offer something equally essential: proximity, comfort and community.
As Bassi told those gathered, the project is also an act of gratitude.
