Historical notes
Down town, in the area called the ‘Rive’ (waterfront), the modern arts exhibition centre Revoltella Museum was founded in 1872 thanks to Baron Pasquale Revoltella, one of the most important figurehead of Trieste noble society of the 19th century; he donated to the city many of his assets, including his house with all its art works, furniture and books.
The mansion is a three-floor elegant neo-Renaissance building which overlooks Piazza Venezia, once called ‘Piazza Giuseppina’ in memory of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II (‘Giuseppe II’, Maria Theresa’s son) who in the 18th century redeveloped this part of Trieste.
Revoltella’s financial heritage helped the Museum’s development but also the improvement young artists’ and craftspeople’s education and training: in few decades the Museum gathered so many valuable artworks so to force an expansion of the site. Despite many bureaucratic and economical difficulties, since 1991 the Museum is eventually set over three buildings, taking an entire block between Piazza Venezia, Diaz and Cadorna Streets and Saint George.
Reopened since 1992 with Maria Masu Dan direction, Revoltella Museum has now 4000 square metres of exhibition over six floors and its tour includes 350 pieces between paintings and sculptures, including the original Revoltella family furniture, decoration and collections which were removed over years to get in new artworks.
You can find a meaningful selection of artworks collected since 1872: Italian artists of the 19th century, artworks from the end of the 19th century and First World War, International Exhibitions, Trieste and Italian artists of early 20th century, Friuli Venezia Giulia artists from the last 50 years. Moreover, artworks of late 20th century’s Italian main artists are displayed in the big room on the 6th floor, with a view on the city skyline and its bay. From this floor, you can also access a big terrace (conceived by Carlo Scarpa, Venetian architect and designer) to enjoy a breathtaking landscape.
