Between the first half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Trieste experienced a strong economic and demographic growth. In little more than a century, the number of residents skyrocketed from 30,000 to 200,000, creating new problems affecting cemeteries as well. Its small graveyards, in fact, especially the ones on Colle San Giusto were not enough to accommodate all bodies, due to a lack of space.
In 1825, a new area to be destined to a large cemetery was identified on the southern edges of town, close to Colle di Sant'Anna. Thanks to the presence of many wealthy families, this place got embellished by several tombstones and monuments over the years and it further expanded in the twentieth century, with the addition of a war cemetery holding the remains of soldiers fallen during WW I and II.
Inside, you can visit the Altar of the fallen soldiers, built by architect Carlo Polli and ordered by the fascist regime, which inaugurated it on 26th May 1929. It is one of the main monuments in memory of the Great War and it replaced an ossuary which, until that day, used to accommodate the remains of irredentist Guglielmo Oberdan and other seventy two volunteer soldiers who fell in WW I.
The monument is located above a small stairway leading to a square and is characterised by different symbols combining memories of the Great War, the fascist ideology and classic culture. Here, you can observe ancient Greek helmets, contemporary firearms and imperial eagles. In addition, in order to make the actions of these volunteers even more memorable and heroic, a famous sentence commemorating the sacrifice of Spartans during the battle of Thermopylae was carved in stone, "Like the heroes of Sparta we came back victorious".
Not far from the Altar of the Fallen Soldiers, you can visit the tomb of the Stuparich family, where brothers Carlo and Gianni rest. The latter had ordered this monument to be built for his brother Carlo, an irredentist volunteer who died during the expedition Strafexpedition on Mt. Cengio (on the Asiago plateau) in 1916. Initially buried in the cemetery of Tresché Conca, his remains where then moved to Sant'Anna's Cemetery in Trieste with a solemn celebration in 1929.
This tomb was designed by sculptor Ruggero Rovan, who created the "Eternity Door": three blocks of karstic stone placed on the top of a staircase and forming a sort of arch, on which the names of the deceased are inscribed along with some celebratory phrases. In the middle of the arch, you can see the great rock of Mt. Cengio, behind which Carlo killed himself to avoid being captured by the Austro-Hungarians on 30th May. INFORMATION
Via dell'Istria, 206
I-34145 Trieste
Tel + 39 040 7793840
Opening hours
October to February: 07.30 am-5.00 pm
May to August: 07.00 am-7.00 pm
March, April and September: 07.00 am-6.00 pm
