Palazzo Carciotti is one of Trieste's most emblematic buildings, located on the seafront between Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi and Riva 3 Novembre, overlooking the Canal Grande. Its construction, carried out between 1798 and 1805, was commissioned by the wealthy Greek merchant Demetrio Carciotti, who had settled in Trieste in 1775 and had amassed his fortune through the trade of textiles from Bohemia.
Historical Context
The palace was built on an area previously occupied by salt pans, acquiring five adjacent houses to create a monumental structure that would symbolize the prosperity and commercial importance of Trieste, then a free port of the Habsburg Empire. Demetrio Carciotti entrusted the project to the architect Matteo Pertsch, trained at the academies of Brera and Parma, who designed a neoclassical building of broad scope and refinement.
Architecture
The main façade is characterized by:
- A base with smooth rustication
- A central projection with six fluted Ionic columns of the giant order, supporting a balustrade decorated with six allegorical statues made by the sculptor Antonio Bosa, a pupil of Canova
The statues represent deities and symbolic figures linked to trade and prosperity, such as:
- Atena
- Fama
- Apollo
Above the façade rises a large hemispherical dome clad in copper, topped by the Napoleonic eagle, which dominates the skyline of the seafront of Trieste.
The side and rear façades reprise the main scheme, with semi-columns, statues and stone amphorae. Inside, the palace contains a large circular hall with sixteen monolithic columns and frescoes by Giuseppe Bernardino Bison, depicting scenes drawn from the Iliad and the Odyssey, imparting to the space an elegance in Empire style.
Events and Historical Uses
The palace has had various uses over time:
- In 1816 it hosted the stay of the minister Metternich
- From 1831 it became the first headquarters of Assicurazioni Generali in Trieste
- Later it housed the Austro-Hungarian Bank, offices of the Allied Military Government and the Port Captaincy
Over the course of the twentieth century, the palace underwent various restorations and adaptations, while nevertheless maintaining its historical and architectural importance.
Curiosities
- Originally conceived to house the owner's residence, warehouses, stables, and sixteen apartments for tenants
- The palace extends for 100 meters in length and 40 in width
- In 1918, the Riva Tre Novembre, on which it faces, was renamed Riva Carciotti in honor of the palace
- In 2012, the dome suffered damage due to strong bora gusts, later restored
Palazzo Carciotti represents a masterpiece of Triestine Neoclassicism and a symbol of the city's economic and cultural history, bearing witness to its international and mercantile vocation.