Even today one can meet intellectuals and prominent figures, such as Claudio Magris, who dedicated special words precisely to Trieste’s literary cafes: the café is the place where one can be alone and among people at the same time.

“Doing the mail” among downtown cafes.

It would probably be fair to devote at least one page to each of these living monuments, but in the meantime it is enough for you to know that theAlbergo alla Posta, by virtue of its exceptional location, is perfect for visiting all of Trieste’s literary cafes. Wanting to draw a mini-route to visit the most famous ones we should mention Caffè Tommaseo (the oldest, born in 1830), Caffè degli Specchi (in Piazza Unità d’Italia, in the beating heart of the city), the Tergesteo (mentioned by Saba in his Canzoniere), the Stella Polare (where many beautiful Trieste girls have taken to the sea meeting and dancing with American officers), the Torinese, theUrbanis, the Pirona (where Joyce is said to have pondered for a long time in anticipation of his Ulysses) and theAntico Caffè San Marco (one of the main meeting points of Trieste’s greatest intellectuals and writers).

These literary cafes amazingly succeed in telling ancient stories about culture, invasions, literature, and freedom while at the same time being modern and fitting perfectly into the city context.