by InTrieste
A new photography exhibition opening Saturday, Jan. 17, offers a fresh glimpse into life in Trieste during the Belle Époque. “Volti di donna. Nella Trieste della Belle Époque,” curated by Claudio Ernè and Massimiliano Muner, will be on view at the Sala Sbisà in Magazzino 26, Porto Vecchio–Porto Vivo, through March 15, 2026.
The show features 170 photographs — 70 large-format panels and 100 originals — taken by an anonymous photographer in the years before World War I. The images focus on women in public life: strolling city streets, visiting cafés, attending the racetrack, and traveling along the port. The photographer’s candid style, capturing spontaneous moments rather than posed portraits, is considered strikingly modern for its time.
Some photographs have been digitally colorized with artificial intelligence, bringing new life to details of clothing, hats, furs, and city architecture. The exhibition also includes a series of free events: guided tours, live portrait sessions, historical talks on fashion and women in the Upper Adriatic, theatrical presentations, a film screening, and a concert.
Organized by the Casa del Cinema di Trieste with support from the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and the Casali Foundations, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover Trieste as a cosmopolitan city in transition, seen through the eyes of its women.
