by InTrieste
Museums, galleries and cultural institutions across Trieste will open their doors this weekend for a series of events marking International Women’s Day on March 8, with free admissions, guided tours, lectures and film screenings highlighting women’s contributions to art, science and history.
The city’s program, coordinated by the municipality with the participation of cultural organizations and associations, will offer residents and visitors dozens of activities over several days, many of them free and designed to spotlight women’s roles in cultural life, scientific discovery and the city’s historical memory.
Saturday, March 7
11 a.m. — Petrarch Museum (via Madonna del Mare 13)
A free guided tour for women will explore the exhibition “Traveling With Casanova: The Arrival in Trieste.” Curated by Alessandra Sirugo, the visit examines the famous adventurer’s travels and the broader cultural context of the eighteenth century.
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. — National Antarctic Museum “Felice Ippolito” (via Weiss 21)
Free admission for women to the museum’s exhibitions on Antarctic exploration, including displays that highlight the growing role of women in scientific research.
3:30 p.m. — Palazzo Gopcevich (Sala Bazlen, via Rossini 4)
A lecture by scholar Silvia Corelli focuses on Elisabetta Caminer Turra (1751–1796), one of Italy’s earliest female journalists. The talk explores her contribution to the spread of scientific and literary knowledge during the Enlightenment and her role in advancing women’s intellectual participation.
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. — Econtemporary Gallery (via Crispi 28)
Opening and artist talk for “ES_PRESS,” a photographic exhibition by Luigi Tolotti exploring engraving, printmaking and contemporary visual expression. The event includes an informal aperitivo with the artist.
Sunday, March 8 – International Women’s Day
Several museums and cultural institutions will offer free admission for women throughout the day.
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. — Castle of Miramare Museum (viale Miramare)
Free entry for women to the historic residence of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and its surrounding gardens overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
10 a.m. — Bora Museum (via Nazionale 49, Opicina)
A guided tour led by Rino Lombardi introduces visitors to the city’s iconic wind, the Bora, through meteorological studies, stories and local legends. Reservations are required.
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. — Immaginario Scientifico (Magazzino 26, Porto Vecchio)
Free admission for women to the interactive science museum, where visitors can explore scientific principles through hands-on experiments.
10 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. — Archive of Miela Reina (viale Miramare 37)
Guided visits through the archive dedicated to the Trieste-born artist Miela Reina, offering a closer look at artworks, personal documents and memorabilia from her life.
From 10:30 a.m. — Museum of the Washerwomen, former San Giacomo washhouse (via San Giacomo in Monte 9)
A historical exhibition traces the daily lives of laundresses who once worked collectively in the washhouse, highlighting their social and cultural role in the city.
10:30 a.m. — Diego de Henriquez War for Peace Museum (via dei Tominz 4)
A guided tour titled “Women of the Great War” examines the roles women assumed during World War I as they replaced men in workplaces and managed families during wartime.
11 a.m. — Carlo Schmidl Theater Museum (via Rossini 4)
The exhibition “Women in Music: The Square Is Female” presents photographs and stories illustrating women’s presence in Trieste’s musical and theatrical life.
11 a.m. — Museo Revoltella (via Diaz 27)
A guided tour explores female portraiture in ten works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, offering insight into the artistic representation of women.
11 a.m. — LETS Literature Museum (piazza Hortis 4)
Presentation of “La donna sulla pietra,” a collection of short stories by Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić, followed by a discussion with translator Alice Parmeggiani.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. — Trieste Contemporanea (via del Monte 2/1)
Presentation of the biography “A Painter Named Leonor,” dedicated to the surrealist artist Leonor Fini, who spent part of her youth in Trieste.
11:30 a.m. — Natural History Museum (via dei Tominz 4)
A guided talk titled “Is It True Only Females Sting?” explores biological differences between male and female animals across species.
12 p.m. — Museum of the Sea (Magazzino 26, Porto Vecchio)
A guided tour of “Mind the STEM Gap,” an exhibition highlighting the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Film Screenings
Morning screenings (before 1:40 p.m.) — The Space Cinema, Torri d’Europa (via Italo Svevo 14)
Discounted tickets will be available for selected morning screenings.
Afternoon screening — Cinema Nazionale (viale XX Settembre 30)
Two films, “Wuthering Heights” and “The Lesson,” will be shown in parallel screenings with discounted tickets for women.
Public Illumination
Sunset, March 8 — Piazza della Borsa
The Neptune Fountain will be illuminated in violet, the symbolic color of International Women’s Day.
Later Event
Monday, March 16, 5:30 p.m. — LETS Literature Museum (piazza Hortis 4)
A reading and philosophical discussion led by Mavis Toffoletto will explore Adriana Cavarero’s “Tu che mi guardi, tu che mi racconti,” focusing on female storytelling and narrative identity.
