Canal Grande (Grand Canal), Trieste (must see)
High in spectacle but modest in length, Trieste鈥檚 Grand Canal cuts through the Borgo Teresiano neighborhood. It was carved out in the mid-18th century, between 1754 and 1756, by Matteo Pirona, a Venetian engineer working under the reign of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa. His goal was practical: bring ships straight into the city鈥檚 heart, so goods could be offloaded directly into warehouses and markets. Back then, the canal stretched all the way to the steps of Saint Antonio Taumaturgo, until 1934, when the last stretch was filled in to create the square we see today鈥攔umor has it, with a torpedo boat entombed beneath the rubble.
The canal鈥檚 history is written in its bridges. The Red Bridge first appeared in 1756, a wooden crossing later remade in iron. The Green Bridge followed in 1858, and the White Bridge arrived in 1904 as a railway link. A more recent addition, the Joyce Passage of 2012, honors James Joyce, whose bronze likeness stands casually on the Red Bridge, still thinking of a good rhyme sequence.
Around the waterway, the fa莽ades of merchant palaces and warehouses still mark Trieste鈥檚 free-port glory, their Neoclassical, Baroque, and Viennese styles reflecting the wealth of the 18th and 19th centuries. The scene is framed at one end by Saint Antonio Taumaturgo鈥檚 imposing neoclassical church and flanked nearby by the domes of Saint Spyridon, tying Catholic and Orthodox legacies into the same view.
By daylight, the canal doubles as a promenade lined with caf茅s and shops; by night, the water mirrors lamplights, making even casual strolls theatrical. Markets, boat races, and festivals still spill onto its edges, ensuring the canal remains both a reminder of Trieste鈥檚 past and a lively artery of its present.
The canal鈥檚 history is written in its bridges. The Red Bridge first appeared in 1756, a wooden crossing later remade in iron. The Green Bridge followed in 1858, and the White Bridge arrived in 1904 as a railway link. A more recent addition, the Joyce Passage of 2012, honors James Joyce, whose bronze likeness stands casually on the Red Bridge, still thinking of a good rhyme sequence.
Around the waterway, the fa莽ades of merchant palaces and warehouses still mark Trieste鈥檚 free-port glory, their Neoclassical, Baroque, and Viennese styles reflecting the wealth of the 18th and 19th centuries. The scene is framed at one end by Saint Antonio Taumaturgo鈥檚 imposing neoclassical church and flanked nearby by the domes of Saint Spyridon, tying Catholic and Orthodox legacies into the same view.
By daylight, the canal doubles as a promenade lined with caf茅s and shops; by night, the water mirrors lamplights, making even casual strolls theatrical. Markets, boat races, and festivals still spill onto its edges, ensuring the canal remains both a reminder of Trieste鈥檚 past and a lively artery of its present.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Trieste. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 黑料吃瓜网 App
Canal Grande (Grand Canal) on Map
Sight Name: Canal Grande (Grand Canal)
Sight Location: Trieste, Italy (See walking tours in Trieste)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Trieste, Italy (See walking tours in Trieste)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Trieste, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Trieste
Creating your own self-guided walk in Trieste is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Trieste's Ancient Roman Sites Walking Tour
The Roman remains on Trieste extend along the northwestern slope of San Giusto Hill, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. Wharves of sandstone slabs dating from the 1st century AD were found by the Roman Theatre. The city walls, ordered by Augustus, were converted to use as terraces.
The Propylaeum of the 1st century AD was the gateway to the sacred area of the Capitoline Temple. There are two... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles
The Propylaeum of the 1st century AD was the gateway to the sacred area of the Capitoline Temple. There are two... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.9 Km or 0.6 Miles
Trieste Introduction Walking Tour
Let鈥檚 drop into Trieste, a city that鈥檚 always had one foot in Central Europe and the other dipping into the Adriatic. It sits at Italy鈥檚 northeastern edge, pressed against Slovenia, where winds tear across the Karst Plateau and caves open like gateways underground. Some call it 鈥淰ienna by the Sea,鈥� others swear it鈥檚 the 鈥淐ity of Coffee,鈥� but labels never really fit. From the start,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles