Piazza dei Negozianti, today known as Piazza Niccolò Tommaseo, is one of the most significant historical squares located in the Borgo Teresiano, the neoclassical district of Trieste desired by the Empress Maria Teresa d'Austria in the XVIII century to expand the city on the mainland after the reclamation of the salt pans.
The square is characterized by its elegant neoclassical architecture, typical of the Borgo Teresiano, with buildings constructed at the beginning of the XIX century that immediately hosted commercial and cultural activities. The area was a privileged destination for shopkeepers, intellectuals, and merchants, from which it derives its original name.
The Caffè Tommaseo
The most emblematic place in the square is the Caffè Tommaseo, founded in 1830 by the Paduan Tomaso Marcato in the palace commissioned by the Mantuan merchants Felice and Vitale Vivante and designed by the Triestine architect Antonio Buttazzoni right in this square. It was originally called "Caffè Tomaso" and soon became a reference point for merchants, artists, and Triestine intellectuals, as well as an important center for patriotic and irredentist movements in Trieste.
The Caffè Tommaseo was innovative for its time, introducing:
- The tradition of ice cream to Trieste for the first time
- Gas lighting in 1844
- Venues for concerts and exhibitions
In 1848, it took on its current name in honor of the writer and patriot Niccolò Tommaseo, becoming a symbol of the local political-social ferment. During the Austro-Hungarian domination, it was a crossroads for intellectuals and patriots, as evidenced by a commemorative plaque present in the venue.
In the XX century, despite the difficulties of the war that led to its use for other purposes, such as:
- Troop lodging
- Stable
the café maintained its cultural importance, frequented by great literary personalities such as James Joyce, Italo Svevo, and Umberto Saba.
The square, despite changing its name and undergoing urban transformations, preserves a strong identity linked to the commercial, cultural, and political history of Trieste, marked by the transition from the Habsburg Empire to Italy and the intense intellectual life of the XIX and XX century within its spaces.