Umberto Saba and Trieste: literary tour on the traces of the poet

Among the various writers whose history is closely linked to the city of Trieste, Umberto Saba is perhaps the one who has told the essence of the city in his work. With its “grumpy grace“, Trieste in the verses of Saba becomes a true protagonist and is able to fascinate readers for over a century. 

After following the footsteps of James Joyce and Italo Svevo, with a new literary tour we are going to discover the places of Umberto Saba in Trieste.

The ghetto and the birthplace of Umberto Saba in Trieste

Saba was born as Umberto Poli in 1883, in a house on the current Via del Teatro Romano. The building, demolished in the fascist era, stands at the center of the old Jewish ghetto of Trieste: the mother is indeed a Jew and this community will play a central role in the formation of the poet. 

Saba soon began to write poems and share them with his family, especially with his beloved aunt Regina, where he and his mother moved in. Noticed the talent in the grandson, the aunt is the first to take care of his education and makes sure that he can study at the university of Pisa.

The Antiquarian Bookshop and the statue of Saba

After military service and after the First World War, in 1919 Saba returned to his hometown and in the same year he decided to buy together with a friend the Antiquarian Bookshop in via San Nicolò 30. Trieste and the library will be the two great loves of Umberto Saba and from them he will not separate for the rest of his life – except for the period between 1938 and 1945, when the poet is forced to escape from racial laws. During this period, Saba had to cede the property to Carlo Cerne, who would then remain his partner at the end of the war. The Antiquarian Bookshop is still managed by his son, Mario Cerne, and remains a place not to be missed during a visit to Trieste for a real journey through time.

Like Svevo and Joyce, Saba has its own bronze statue by Nino Spagnoli. When it came to choosing the position in which to place it, there could be no doubt: just via San Nicolò, at the intersection with Via Dante, to represent the poet as he goes to his beloved library. 

The Weiss medical practice

Not far away, in Via San Lazzaro 8, you can see a plaque that recalls the medical practice of Edoardo Weiss, Triestine Jew and student of Freud who is considered the father of psychoanalysis in Italy. A great frequenter of the Caffè San Marco, at his tables Weiss meets several intellectuals who also become patients. Among these, from 1929 to 1931 there is Umberto Saba: psychoanalysis helps him to overcome traumas and neuroses related to childhood and therapy will be strongly reflected in his poetry.

The Triestine cafés loved by Saba

Among the places of Trieste most loved by Umberto Saba cannot miss the historic cafés. In addition to the Caffè San Marco already mentioned, a fixed stop of his days is Da Walter which is located right in front of the Antiquaria Bookstore. It at Walter’s that Carlo Cerne takes refuge, whenever Saba is busy writing a poem and needs concentration. 

Along with other writers and intellectuals, he also frequented the Garibaldi café and the Tommaseo café. And the latter, in particular, is mentioned by Saba in his writings for a very special reason: ice cream with pistachio. The Tommaseo café, one of the oldest in Trieste, was indeed the first place in the city to serve ice cream at the beginning of the last century, thus becoming an indelible memory among its customers – great poets included.