Coffee is culture – #TEE18 VIDEO8

San Marco, Tommaseo, Torinese, Specchi, Urbanis, Stella Polare, Pirona are fixed points on the charming intellectual map of Trieste, frequented by James Joyce, the writer Italo Svevo, the poet Umberto Saba and many others.

Today you can still find historical cafes in Trieste which first opened for business in the 19th century. Many cafes of the time were in the Viennese style and had strong connections with the literary and artistic worlds. Those historic sites became the meeting point for intellectuals, writers and politicians to exchange ideas and stimulate their creativity. Still now novelists, cultural philosophers, intellectuals, students and – whi not? – business men often works from the cafes.

“Places where you’re at peace, you read, you write, you chat. A heart of the city; a strong heart that beats calmly” wrote the writer Claudio Magris, speaking about Caffè San Marco. Places where you feel at least a half more sophisticated whilst drinking coffee here.