The name is a little misleading….Trieste doen’t have a Metro line and for now, and Google search brings up just the local “Restaurant Depot” style store METRO in Valmaura. But, just like mushrooms sprouting after our rainy spring, 111 new totems have “popped up” around the city of Trieste: 111 totems outlining 7 itinieraries around the city have suddenly appeared offering tourists an easy way to create self-guided, curated tours. The project (brought to life with national and European funds) will include also a website, an app and actual paper brochures that can be downloaded online in Italian, English, German and Slovenian.

Looking a lot like the totems one finds in major cities to indicate subway entrances, these info points are where one starts their self-guided tour. There are seven pedestrian loops: architectural, historical, literary, nature and sports related, exploring communities, cultures and religions as well as sciences, art and technology, plus an itinerary of the “Must-See” places called “Trieste In A Day”. For those wanting to dig deeper there are “Stops” covering more specific highlights the city offers, like a “Liberty Architecture” tour.

In all, there are a total of 260 “stops” in the routes of the entire project, the main hubs in the city center are in Piazza Unità, Piazza della Borsa, Largo Riborgo and Piazza Oberdan. Each offers a QR code which activates the page corresponding to the starting point on your smartphone. 

Two other functions soon to be available on the app and on the website are an augmented reality system that identifies points of interest simply by framing the surroundings with your smartphone and a health section which includes a pedometer to monitor the benefits of walking and a calorie counter.

(photos courtesy of Google Images, IlPiccolo and TriestePrima)