Piazza Unità d'Italia, Trieste

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The City Hall (Palazzo del Municipio) is the dominating building on Trieste's main square Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia.

Like the square, also the City Hall was designed by the Italian architect Giuseppe Bruni. He completed the building in eclectic style in 1875.

The main feature of the City Hall is the clock tower with its two bronze statues called Michez and Jachez.

Directions:
Trieste’s City Hall can be found on the square Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia. The City Hall faces the sea and stands on the southern side of the square.

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Before the End of WWI this great piazza was known as the Piazza Grande, but after Trieste was given to the Italians after the war, its title was change to Piazza Unita' d' Italia. However, everything you see built onto the buildings are Austrian in design, and I must admit that I felt like I was in Austria when standing in the Piazza. There is such an interesting story about this area before and after WWI, that I suggest you read about it before coming to Trieste.
Built at the foot of the hill that has the castle known as San Giusto it faces the sea and the tourist office states that it is the biggest piazza in all Europe that has one side on the sea. in any rate, it is very large and impressive. There are some interesting statues, and if you look at the photos below, you can see a few of them.
The tourist office is off to one side of the piazza and is difficult to find as there is no sign. However, just walk east of the piazza you will find it along the side of the main building.

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Piazza dell'Unita D'Italia, or simply Piazza Unita, is the biggest open space in the town of Trieste, and one of the most beautiful squares of that kind in whole Italy.
It is, no doubt of it, the real heart of the town and the most visited promenade, especially during the weekends. This is the place where Triestini (the citizenzs of the town) come to see and be seen by the other people.

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Allow yourself to wander and gaze upon the calm. Piazza Unita enjoys a view of the Bay of Trieste. The openess and beauty attracts families and lovers, business men and students.
I enjoyed it immensely and was drawn there daily.
Evenings are special - the blue lights inserted in the piazza replace the blue water seen during the day.

Trieste is the city with many neoclassical buildings. It has had a long history with many changes of ownership. A long time lasting influence of Austria is seen in many of palaces.

See the decoration on one of the palaces in Unita's square.

Piazza d'Unita is one of the biggest squares in Triest. It is located close to the shore and encircled by imposing palaces.
On the photo you can see a palace which houses the goverment of the region.

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The Town Hall and the seat of the Friuli Region Government is situated in the central position of the Piazza Unita d'Italia. It is fine and beautifuly designed palace with the arcades in the ground floor and the town clock on its rooftop.

The Fontana dei Quattro Continenti or Fountain of the Four Continents is one of the main artistic attraction in the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia that is not actually a building. It was sculpted by the artist Mazzoleni in 1751. Each of the four continents (the Americas are considered as one continent) is represented by a different animal: Europe by the horse, Africa by the lion, Asia by the camel and the Americas by the crocodile. At the time, Australia had yet to be "discovered" by James Cook and thus was not included in the Fountain.

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The Palazzo Comunale or Municipio dominates the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia from the east and is the centre of any view of the Piazza from the Riva. It serves as the seat of Municipal government (complementing the Palazzo del Lloyds Triestino and Palazzo del Governo, headquarters for other levels of government) and was constructed in 1872. The most notable components of this unusual façade are the bronze statues of Micheze and Jacheze, which sound the hours in the clock tower, and the statue of Karl IV, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor who declared Trieste a free port (one of the main sources of Trieste's growth as an urban centre).

The Palazzo del Lloyds Triestino dominates the south side of the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. It was completed in Renaissance-revival style by the Viennese architect Heinrich Ferstel between 1880 and 1883. I must admit that, for all the beauty and hype of Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, there appears to be very little about the actual history of the Palazzo del Lloyds Triestino. Nonetheless, it is still imposing and magnificent and truly completes the impression left by the Piazza.