Business

Trieste holds a strategic geographical position, sitting as it does between the east and west of Europe. It is one of the furthest east cities in northern Italy, and as such lies just a few miles from the Slovenian border, and close to Croatia as well. At the docks, commercial shipping containers jostle for space alongside oil terminals that form the start of the Transalpine Pipeline to Austria and Germany, providing energy for almost the entirety of Austria and Bavaria.

Part of Trieste’s international appeal is its status as a Free Zone, granting entry without discrimination to ships and cargo, as well as customs-free imports, low harbour dues, tax benefits, and many other international trade advantages.

Trieste is home to numerous research facilities – over 30 international centres sit alongside its two universities and are coordinated by Trieste Next, an organisation with ambitions to take the city from an Italian research hub to a global one. Business networking events are commonplace, with plentiful opportunities to forge and strengthen links between academia and industry. While the list of active research areas is always growing, key focuses include:

• Big data analysis
• Genetic engineering and biomedicine
• Transportation and communication technologies
• Nanotechnology
• Pharmaceutical
• Solid state physics

Explore

As a modern tourist destination, Trieste offers a variety of sights and attractions. It is the coffee capital of Italy, a title it has held for nearly 300 years, since it was granted tax-free status by Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. You can enjoy your drink in one of the city’s traditional Viennese coffee houses, or grab one to go and hit the streets.

Trieste’s architecture is similar to Vienna’s, with strong Neoclassical and Art Nouveau influences. Its headline attraction is the imperiously grand Piazza Unitàd’Italia¸ Europe’s largest seafront square, but there is much to be seen in the Old City and the parks and gardens surrounding the castles.