Personal Aspect on Trieste: The architecture

Trieste is an excellent place for lovers of architecture. There are Roman ruins, Austro-Hungarian residences, Fascist monuments and other buildings. Caesar himself with his legions conquered Tergeste and started building public facilities, theatres, temples and other structures. Today the ruins of the Roman theatre and the temple are still visible. The cathedral of San Giusto was initially built by the Romans, was destroyed by the Longobards and rebuilt in the 9th century. It is a very fascinating building and should be visited by all appreciators of churches. During the brief occupation by the Republic of Venice, some Venetian style buildings were built but later demolished. Then Trieste joined the Austrian Empire and Austrian architects were delighted and started projecting several different buildings. Several Jugendstil residences were built, rococo buildings and several other architectural styles flourished in Trieste. During the Hapsburg domination, the city of Trieste developed enormously as it was one of the only Austrian ports and therefore a vital economical and commercial center. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell, Trieste became part of the Kingdom of Italy and when the Fascists rose, they decided to change Trieste. Fascist style is recognizable for its classical style and nationalism and various buildings in Trieste reflect this style.

Novel 10: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

The protagonist of The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson is a foundling named Annika. Secondary characters include Ellie, Zed, Pauline, Stephen, "La Rondine", Gudrun and professors Julius, Emil and Gertrude. The antagonists are Uncle Oswald, Aunt Mathilde and Frau Edeltraut. The story takes place in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and more specifically in the professors' house in Vienna, in Spittal, in Bad Haxenfeld and on the mountains. The story takes place in the last years of the nineteenth century during the Hapsburg Emperor Franz Joseph's rule. In the story, Ellie, a servant, finds a baby and brings her to her masters, the three professors. They agree to adopt her and they name her Annika. She lives with them until, when she is older, a German aristocrat named Frau Edeltraut von Tannenberg comes claiming that she is Annika's mother. Annika moves to Spittal, the Tannenberg castle where she meets her brother Hermann, her cousin Gudrun, the servant Zed, Uncle Oswald and Aunt Mathilde. She discovers that the family is very poor but Frau Edeltraut goes in Switzerland and when she returns she is rich. In the meantime, Annika finds on the shore of the lake, a box containing a picture of "La Rondine", an old Viennese friend who had died. Meanwhile, Annika's friends in Vienna start to investigate and discover that "La Rondine" had left to Annika to Annika and Frau Edeltraut had laid her hands on it. Then they also discover that Frau Edeltraut is not Annika's real mother and together with the Egghart's, "La Rondine's" family, they manage to get back the treasure. Annika returns to live in Vienna while Frau Edeltraut and Hermann sell Spittal and go live in Paris.

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Geography Entry on Trieste: The Foibe Landforms and the Doline

The Foibe are a Carsic landform formed when some land composed of calcium carbonate is eroded while the rock around it remains intact, creating a sinkhole. The erosion is mostly caused by acid rain precipitations and other kinds of water-caused weathering. These depressions are found all over the Carsic plateau that is divided between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. These crevices come in all sizes but usually they are narrow at the top and gradually expand. Doline is the Slovenian name for valley and is used to describe depressions in the ground. These landforms are found in several parts of the world, including the Carsic plateau, near Trieste. There are several different types of Doline of which some examples are the Funnel Dolina, the Composed Dolina and the covered Dolina. The Funnel Dolina is a sinkhole that has a greater width than depth by definition but can be bowl shaped rather than funnel shaped. A composed Dolina is when two or more funnel Doline become a larger Dolina. Covered Doline are a simple Dolina covered with trees. These Covered Doline are interesting because there is a huge thermal inversion in them and they often contain ice even in the most torrid summers.

Further information on the Foibe
Further information on the Doline

Historical Entry on Trieste: The Foibe Massacres

The Foibe are a Carsic landform in which some land made of calcium carbonate is eroded while the rock around it is not. This creates the crevices known as the Foibe. These crevices are found, amongst other places, on the Carsic plateau. The Foibe were used since ancient times as dumps and garbage and other unwanted objects were thrown in them. The Foibe became a serious issue only in 1945, during Tito's forty days in Trieste. The Yugoslavians were furious at the Italians and Germans because they had massacred several thousands of Yugoslavian civilians only because they pertained to the Slav race. So, they decided to revenge and started to kill any Italians who were suspected of being pro-fascist regime, however, several innocent people were killed. The Yugoslavians had to get rid of the bodies, so they decided to throw the carcasses into the Foibe. The Yugoslavians were rather amused and started to organize many killings at the Foibe. They would shoot people so when they were shot they would fall into the crevices, but they enjoyed particularly to tie several people together in a line and shoot the first person so he would fall into the crevices and carry the others with him still alive. It is estimated that up to 6,000 people were killed in this way in the Carsic plateau only but the number increases throughout the rest of Yugoslavia, however information are controversial. The killings stopped when the Allies entered Trieste and the Yugoslavians retreated. This event should make us reflect about the futile cruelty of some human beings and should convince us to try to avoid that similar massacres happen again.

P.S: This information was collected by interviewing some Triestine people who were present at the times of these massacres.

Novel 9: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

The protagonists of the novel Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, are the three brothers Simon, Barney and Jane Drew. Secondary characters include Great-Uncle Merry, the kids' parents, the dog Rufus and the domestic. The antagonists are a yachtsman, his sister, the boy Bill and Mr. Hastings. The story takes place in Trewissick and, more specifically, in the Grey House, the grail's hiding place, on the beach, in the nearby woods, in the center of Trewissick and on the coastline. The story takes place in an unspecified time but I presume it takes place in the late 1980's or first 1990's. In the story, the Drew family goes to visit Trewissick with Great-Uncle Merry and reside in the Grey House, an old fisherman's house. The house is old and mysterious, so the kids decide to explore it. They find a secret room and discover an old map that leads to a grail. The children show the map to Merry, who tells them that they must find the grail. In the meanwhile, also the yachtsman and his sister are after the grail and with the help of Bill, they try to capture the siblings. The Drews, with the help of Rufus' instinct, manage to find all the hints and uncover the grail's hiding place. However, the town's vicar, who really is a man known as Mr. Hastings, is collaborating with the yachtsman. The children find a cave near the shore and in it, the grail. They are attacked by Mr. Hastings but Great-Uncle Merry intervenes. Merry says that the three children had been collaborating with the Light against the Dark by retrieving the grail, a powerful object. This is a wonderful story that combines the legend of King Arthur with fantasy and imagination.

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