Trieste is unlike any other Italian city, and has been part of La Repubblica for less than a century. With its relaxed pace of life, elegant literary cafes, bars that resemble beer halls more than osterie, and a population that is a melting pot of Mitteleuropa, the visitor feels closer to Vienna than Venice. Summer months are packed with cultural events – an operetta festival (12-31 July, teatroverdi-trieste.com), the Trieste Summer Rock Festival (28-31 July, musicalibera.it) and Trieste loves Jazz (18 July-8 August, triestelovesjazz.com)

Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia

Any tour of Trieste must begin at this monumental piazza, one of the largest in Europe, where three sides are lined by grand palatial buildings, so ornate they should be atop a wedding cake, while the fourth side is even more spectacular, opening out onto the Adriatic. Although Italy is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its foundation this year, the official name of the piazza is misleading, as Trieste only became part of Italy in 1919, after the first world war, and this was always known before as Piazza Grande. Although the piazza is impressive during the day, it really takes your breath away at night, when it is brilliantly lit up, shimmering across the water. But forget sitting out at one of the piazza's cafe terraces – drinks are terribly overpriced.

B&B Ariamarina

The idea of bed and breakfast is still something of a novelty in Trieste, but last year, Signora Nadja opened up two rooms of her apartment, located in a neoclassical palazzo right in the old city centre, costing €85 for a double. The accommodation is spacious, comfortably furnished, with a lovely interior garden where breakfast is served in summer. The owner is an enthusiastic guide to the city for her guests, with useful hints for restaurants and bars. If Ariamarina is full, check out the elegant Residenza le 6A (residenzale6a.it), another new spot just by the Piazza Unità, with double rooms priced from just €65 for a double.
• 12 Via Madonna del Mare, +39 40 300963. ariamarina.it

Caffè Tommaseo

Trieste is famed for its grand literary cafes, mythical meeting places for the intelligentsia and political subversives, but today, most have been modernised and wouldn't look out of place in Barcelona or Amsterdam. Guidebooks will tell you that the great exception is the San Marco – a favourite of James Joyce when he lived here – but if you only have time for one coffee drop in at the Tommaseo, a much livelier locale, and perfectly positioned between the waterfront and Piazza Unità.
• 5 Riva III Novembre, caffetommaseo.com

Buffet da Pepi

The "buffet" is a tradition that dates back to when the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. These hole-in-wall eateries are dedicated solely to pork, from nose to tail, served with sauerkraut, mustard and freshly-grated horseradish, accompanied by a foaming mug of beer. There are half-a-dozen buffets dotted around town, but nothing compares with the lively atmosphere at Da Pepi's, which has been around since 1897. Great for lunch, where a panino bursting with chunks of cooked ham will only set you back €3.50, while a plate heaped with roast pork, wurstel, tongue, bacon, sausage and smoked ham, costs €22 and is easily enough for two.
• 3 Via della Cassa di Risparmio, buffetdapepi.com

Lungomare and Miramare

From April to October, local life in Trieste takes place along the Lungomare, not so much a beach, but a 4km seafront promenade along the Adriatic, stretching from the centre of town as far as the kitsch Miramare Castle. This is the daily rendezvous for swimming, sunbathing, picnics and parties, with every couple of hundred metres marked by a chiosco bar. Go to the last of these, Chiosco Bivio Inn, run for three generations by the same family, where there is always a party atmosphere, great music, and a chilled glass of white wine is just €1.50. The castle has sumptuous interiors designed for an emperor. Unfortunately the emperor in question, Maximilian, was the brother of Austria's Franz Josef, and after declaring himself Emperor of Mexico in 1864, he was executed three years later and never actually lived in his fairytale castle.
• castello-miramare.it, admission €6

San Spiridone church

With its location at the crossroads of central Europe, Trieste has been a magnet for immigrants for centuries, and it has been transformed over the past decade from an edgy frontier city into a thriving and harmonious example of how European integration can actually work. To get a feel for the different cultures, begin high above the town centre at the historic San Giusto Cathedral, with Romanesque mosaics and spectaular views, walk past the bright white synagogue, down to the waterfront, where the Greek community founded the San Nicolo dei Greci church in 1787, then save the best for last, the majestic Serbian Orthodox San Spiridone, with sumptuous neo-Byzantine interiors.

Chocolat

Italy's most famous coffee, Illy, comes from Trieste, but it is also a great place for chocolate. If you're tempted by the ultimate Black Forest gateau, look no further than the traditional Caffè Eppinger (eppinger.it), but chocoholics should seek out the newly opened Chocolat, hidden away down a funky pedestrian street by the old Jewish ghetto. Its homemade chocolate gelati are out of this world. Next door is another original boutique-cum-cafe, SaluMare (salumare.it), which serves a gourmet selection of snacks based on smoked salmon, trout, sturgeon and herring.
• 15 Via Cavana

Caffè Rossini

The Triestini take their early evening aperitivo very seriously, with each bar trying to outdo the next with tempting free tapas, live DJ sets or exotic cocktails. The hottest spots are the Gran Bar Malabar on Piazza San Giovanni, which has a great selection of Friulani wines, and the funky Urbanis on Piazza della Borsa. But if you arrive early enough at the Rossini, you can grab a table on its floating deck, right on the water of the picturesque Canal Grande. Order a Negroni and watch the sun set over the brightly painted boats. You can always move next door for a waterside dinner at the excellent seafood restaurant Antico Panada.
• 8 Via Rossini

Al Bagatto

There are many outstanding fish restaurants in Trieste, but prices are not cheap, even if the catch comes from local boats. Al Bagatto has a justified reputation for the freshest seafood – wild sea bass, john dory, sole, mantis shrimps, octopus and the humble sardine – which the chef buys each morning direct from fisherman, but expect il conto to be around €50 a head. At lunchtimes, the restaurant is closed but its wine storeroom is transformed into an impromptu osteria – more like a private club for in-the-know Triestini – where a glass of wine costs €3, with tasty free snacks.
• 7 Via Luigi Cadorna, +39 40 301771, albagatto.it

Scabar

A short taxi ride into the hills above Trieste is this legendary gourmet restaurant, presided over by Ami Scabar, a highly creative chef and impassioned champion of the food and wines produced in the surrounding Carso countryside, and the freshest fish caught off the local coast. The terrace has fabulous panoramic vistas over the city, so be sure to reserve a table with a view. At lunch you can just order a delicate dish of ravioli stuffed with scallops in a saffron sauce for €10, while for an unforgettable evening meal it is worth splashing out €55 for the six-course tasting menu.
• 63 Erta di Sant'Anna, +39 40 810368, scabar.it

• Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies from Birmingham and Stansted to Trieste from £42 return