The Caffè Tommaseo is the oldest café still in operation in Trieste and one of the most prestigious historic venues in Italy. Located in piazza Niccolò Tommaseo, overlooking the seafront of the Borgo Teresiano, it has represented for almost two centuries a point of reference for the cultural, social, and political life of the city.
Origins and architecture
The palace that hosts the Caffè Tommaseo was built in 1824 on the initiative of the Mantuan merchants Felice and Vitale Vivante, who entrusted the project to the Triestine architect Antonio Buttazzoni. In 1830 the Paduan Tomaso Marcato opened the “Caffè Tomaso” on the ground floor, enriching the venue with:
- mirrors imported from Belgium
- chairs by the cabinetmaker Michael Thonet
- wall decorations entrusted to the Friulian painter Giuseppe Gatteri
The café immediately became a meeting place for merchants, artists, and intellectuals, hosting:
- concerts
- art exhibitions
- musical evenings with the orchestra of the municipal theater and the town band
A center of the Risorgimento and irredentism
In 1848, in the full Risorgimento atmosphere, the venue was renamed Caffè Tommaseo in honor of the writer and Dalmatian patriot Niccolò Tommaseo. In those years the café became a true center of the national movement and of Triestine irredentism, as recalled by a commemorative plaque: “Da questo Caffè Tommaseo, nel 1848, centro del movimento nazionale, si diffuse la fiamma degli entusiasmi per la libertà italiana”.
After the execution of Guglielmo Oberdan in 1882, out of fear of the Austro-Hungarian authorities, the venue temporarily returned to the original name “Caffè Tomaso”, to then definitely resume the name Tommaseo in 1918, with the arrival of the Italian troops in Trieste.
Innovation and tradition
The Caffè Tommaseo was among the first venues in Trieste to introduce ice cream to dining and to install gas lighting as early as 1844, marking a turning point in the city's offer and atmosphere.
Over the years, the venue has managed to keep its nineteenth-century atmosphere intact, thanks also to the restorations carried out:
- between 1984 and 1986
- in 1997
which have preserved the original decorations and the imprint of the Viennese coffee house.
Gathering place for intellectuals and artists
The Caffè Tommaseo has been frequented by some of the most illustrious personalities of Triestine and international culture, including:
- Italo Svevo, who wrote some of his works there
- Umberto Saba
- Giani Stuparich
- Domenico Rossetti
- Pietro Kandler
- Virgilio Giotti
- Pier Antonio Quarantotti Gambini
- Claudio Magris
The café has hosted art exhibitions, concerts, literary debates and still continues to be a point of reference for the city's cultural life.
Historical monument and present day
On 7 April 1954 the Caffè Tommaseo was officially declared a historical and artistic monument, recognizing its value for the collective memory of Trieste.
Today the venue, restored and managed according to the tradition of Viennese cafés, offers:
- pastry
- coffee
- restaurant
- spaces for cultural events
keeping alive its vocation as a “city salon” and place of meeting between past and present.
Thus, the Caffè Tommaseo remains a symbol of cosmopolitan Trieste, a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and stories, and continues to be one of the most beloved and representative places of the city.