Cafeography
Trieste · Borgo Teresiano

Cafés in Borgo Teresiano

The Canal Grande and Ponte Rosso, the grid of Via Dante, Via San Nicolò and Via Carducci, and the station.

Photo: Ana Kenk, Pexels License

The Borgo Teresiano was laid out in the mid-18th century on salt pans that Charles VI bought in 1730, after he had made Trieste a free port in 1719; Maria Theresa carried the project on after his death.1 Its straight grid, between Via Carducci, Corso Italia, the station and the waterfront, is one of the earliest examples of modern town planning.1

No part of Trieste has more cafés. Historic rooms line Via Dante and Corso Italia, small bars face the Canal Grande on Via Genova and Via Rossini, and the earliest counters open around Via Carducci and the station.

Local tip: Order a capo in b with a slice of strudel at the counter of Viezzoli Pirona, then cross to the Canal Grande to see Joyce on the Ponte Rosso.

At a glance

59Cafés listed
7With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
23:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Carducci Cafe, from 06:00 (Mon–Sat 06:00–23:30 · Sun 14:00–23:30).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (22%), outdoor seating (17%), smoke-free indoors (10%).

Caffè Primo Rovis

  • Piazza Carlo Goldoni, 10
  • Mon–Sat 06:30–21:00 · Sun Closed
  • +39 040 636555
  • Takeaway
  • Air-con
  • Indoor seating
  • Wheelchair access
  • Toilets
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Bar al tramvai

  • Piazza Guglielmo Oberdan, 9
  • +39 040 3720133
  • Wheelchair access
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Coffee chains in Borgo Teresiano

The Canal Grande and Ponte Rosso

The Venetian Matteo Pirona dug the Canal Grande in 1754–1756 as the main drain of the salt pans. Its inland end was filled in 1934 to make Piazza Sant'Antonio, where Pietro Nobile's church of Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo has stood since 1849; the Serbian Orthodox church of Saint Spyridon followed in 1869.2 The Ponte Rosso carries a statue of James Joyce by Nino Spagnoli, placed in 2004 for the centenary of his arrival.23

Via Genova, along the canal, has Caffe Antico Ponterosso at 10A, Lust at 11, Red Bridge Cafe at 13 and White Cafe at 21a, which seats customers outside. On Via Rossini, Zeroquaranta at number 8 and Spritz@lunch at 16 also have outdoor tables.

Historic rooms on Via Dante and Corso Italia

Caffè Stella Polare, at Via Dante Alighieri 14, first stood on what is now Via XXX Ottobre and was renamed Caffè Gioberti in 1848. The German community favored it, and Umberto Saba, Virgilio Giotti and James Joyce, who taught at the nearby Berlitz School, were regulars.4 Joyce read his stories to his brother Stanislaus here in 1907–1908.3 It opens daily 07:00–22:00.

Antico Caffè Torinese, at Corso Italia 2, opened in 1915; its wood and brass fittings are by Debelli, who also fitted out the liners Vulcania and Saturnia.4 Caffè Tommaseo, on Piazza Tommaseo near the waterfront, dates itself to 1830.5 Eppinger Caffè, at Via Dante 2b, has a first-floor room, tables outside and a Sunday brunch.6

Via San Nicolò and the bakery counters

Joyce taught at the Berlitz School at Via San Nicolò 32 from March 1905 to September 1906 and again in 1907, and from May 1905 to February 1906 he lived at number 30, writing stories for Dubliners.3 Ferrari is at Via San Nicolò 18, Cafè Continentale at 29 and Caffè Walter 1907 at 31.

Viezzoli Pirona, at Via della Cassa di Risparmio 7, has baked since the 1950s, from tall, soft traditional loaves to Kaiser and walnut bread.7 Its café counter serves a capo in b with strudel, pinze or gubane.6 Bar Pasticceria Sanna is on Via Giorgio Galatti and La Perla pasticceria on Via Santa Caterina da Siena, and Bloom Specialty Coffee pours specialty coffee on Campo del Belvedere.

Early coffee near the station

Trieste Centrale, on Piazza della Libertà at the Borgo's western end, opened in 1857 in a building by Carl von Ghega; the present Neo-Renaissance station followed in 1878.8 Caffè Alla Stazione and Bricco Caffé are on the square, and DIVAN, on Via Carlo Ghega, opens daily 07:00–22:00. Carducci Cafe, at Via Giosuè Carducci 12c, opens at 06:00 Monday to Saturday and stays open until 23:30; Bar Condor on Viale Miramare starts at 06:30.

The Opicina tram resumed service on 20 July 2026, but until its Piazza Oberdan terminus is rebuilt, work expected to end by June 2027, trams start and end at Piazza Dalmazia.9 Bar al tramvai is at Piazza Oberdan 9.

Sources

  1. Borgo Teresiano, Wikipedia (Italian), accessed October 2026
  2. Canal Grande (Trieste), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. The Trieste of James Joyce, Comune di Trieste, city itineraries, accessed October 2026
  4. Historical Cafés (Purple itinerary), Comune di Trieste, city itineraries (updated November 23, 2020), accessed October 2026
  5. Antico Ristorante Tommaseo, Antico Ristorante Tommaseo (official site, formerly caffetommaseo.it), accessed October 2026
  6. The many ways to say "coffee". The Trieste variants and the 11 best coffee bars where to find them, Gambero Rosso International (October 27, 2023), accessed October 2026
  7. The 6 best bakeries in Trieste selected by Gambero Rosso, Gambero Rosso International (November 19, 2023), accessed October 2026
  8. Trieste Centrale railway station, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  9. Trieste–Opicina tram service to resume on July 20 after regulatory approval, InTrieste (July 18, 2026), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Borgo Teresiano cafés: questions

Which historic cafés are in the Borgo Teresiano in Trieste?

Caffè Stella Polare on Via Dante, where Joyce read his stories to his brother in 1907–1908; Antico Caffè Torinese on Corso Italia, opened in 1915 with wood and brass fittings by Debelli; Caffè Tommaseo on Piazza Tommaseo, which dates itself to 1830; and Eppinger Caffè on Via Dante, with a first-floor room and Sunday brunch.

When was the Canal Grande in Trieste built?

The Venetian Matteo Pirona dug it in 1754–1756 as the main drain of the salt pans on which the Borgo Teresiano was built. Its inland end was filled in 1934 to create Piazza Sant'Antonio. The Ponte Rosso across it carries a statue of James Joyce, placed in 2004.

Where does the Opicina tram leave from in Trieste in 2026?

The Opicina tram resumed service on 20 July 2026, but until its Piazza Oberdan terminus is rebuilt, work expected to finish by June 2027, trams start and end at Piazza Dalmazia in central Trieste.

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