Canal Grande, Trieste – Fountain of the Four Continents loop from Trieste

Hiking trails & Routes

Italy

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Trieste

Canal Grande, Trieste – Fountain of the Four Continents loop from Trieste

Moderate

4.6

(75)

550

hikers

Canal Grande, Trieste – Fountain of the Four Continents loop from Trieste

02:30

9.32km

110m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 22, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

1.64 km

Canal Grande, Trieste

Highlight • River

The front part of the canal is lined with beautiful palaces, such as the palazzo Gopcevich, built by a Serbian merchant, or the palazzo by Demetrio Carciotti, who came from Corfu. Countless commercial and residential buildings of old families that continuously expanded the wealth of Trieste.

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2.71 km

Old Stock Exchange Palace (Trieste)

Highlight • Monument

The backdrop of Theater Square is the Old Stock Exchange, built in 1806 by the architect Antonio Molari. Its front was built in the style of a Doric temple front with a portico. On the square in front of the stock exchange, Piazza della Borsa, the statue of Emperor Leopold I stands on a pillar and, like other Habsburgs, participated in the upswing of the city. Today, in the building of the Old Stock Exchange, there is the Triestinian Chamber of Commerce.

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2.93 km

Fountain of the Four Continents

Highlight • Monument

The Fontana dei Quattro Continenti in Trieste's Piazza Unità d'Italia is a Baroque masterpiece and a symbol of the city's cosmopolitan identity in the 18th century.

🗺️ Symbolism & History
Origin: Created between 1751 and 1754 by the sculptor Giovanni Battista Mazzoleni to celebrate Trieste's rise to a free-trading city under Maria Theresa.

Name: The "Four Continents" – Europe, Asia, Africa, and America – symbolize the global reach of trade that Trieste conducted as a port city. Australia was not yet known as a continent at the time.

Location: Originally located in the center of the piazza, the fountain was removed in 1938 to make way for a political stage and was only restored and returned in the 1970s.

🧜‍♂️ Artistic Details
Allegorical Figures:

Europe with a horse and symbols of power and knowledge.

Asia with a camel and exotic goods.

Africa with a lion.

America with an alligator and feathered headdress.

Trieste as the central figure: A winged female figure enthrones the ensemble, resting on the karst cliffs, surrounded by bales, barrels, and ropes – a symbol of the cosmopolitan, welcoming city.

Water Sources: Dolphins and river gods spew water into conch shells – a baroque interplay of movement and symbolism

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3.09 km

Unity of Italy Square

Highlight • Monument

Piazza Unità d'Italia in Trieste is one of the largest squares in Europe. It is considered the beating heart of the city and is surrounded by splendid historic buildings, including the Town Hall, the Government Palace and the Lloyd Triestino building. On the opposite side the square offers a spectacular view of the Adriatic Sea.

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3.47 km

Molo Audace

Viewpoint

5.09 km

Gabriele d'Annunzio Statue

Highlight • Monument

The city of Trieste dedicates a statue to Gabriele D'Annunzio

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5.10 km

Fountain of Neptune

Highlight • Monument

The Neptune Fountain was erected in 1755 on the square in front of the Stock Exchange and stood there until 1920, when it was forced to move to Piazza Venezia. After the Stock Exchange Square became a pedestrian zone in 2008, the Neptune Fountain returned to its original location.

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6.33 km

San Giusto Castle and the Roman Ruins of Trieste

Highlight • Castle

The castle of San Giusto dominates the city from the top of the hill on which it is located. Inside there is the city museum with weapons from past centuries, various objects, and Roman remains.

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6.93 km

Richard's Arch

Highlight • Historical Site

The old town is worth a hike, especially there are many small cafes and bistro to stop off

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9.32 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

6.35 km

1.42 km

946 m

315 m

249 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

6.17 km

2.83 km

296 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (60 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

Weather

Wednesday 14 October

21°C

9°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 13.0 km/h

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Comments

July 8, 2025,2025.07.08 Die Stadt Triest

Arrival at the bus station in Trieste: 6:20 a.m. After a short walk around the city, I check into the hotel. Then it's off to the big city tour. It keeps raining, and I have to stand under an awning several times. It stops raining during the course of the morning. The city is very beautiful, steeped in history, with …

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August 29, 2024,🇮🇹 Ausflug nach Triest 🚌 29.08.2024

Today we took the bus from Grado-Pineta to Trieste. We first walked from the bus station to the Grand Canal and then past churches of different denominations to Piazza Unità d'Italia with its impressive buildings.

We then went to the Castello di San Giusto and after a morning pint at Piazza Barbacan we went down to the harbor. Then we …

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November 30, 2024,Triest

Here too, the weather was wonderful and strolling through the city was great. The same goes for the coffees. We had lunch outside (although we were already wearing a thick jacket and sometimes a hat), but the sun made it bearable. There was no Christmas market yet, which was probably a misplacement of the travel agency's theme.

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August 15, 2023,Italia'23.9 Castello di Miramare und Triest

Miramare Castle (Italian: Castello di Miramare) is located on a rocky cliff in the Bay of Grignano on the Adriatic Sea, about five kilometers northwest of the Italian port city of Trieste. The palace was built between 1856 and 1860 for Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I and from 1864 Emperor of Mexico, and …

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July 3, 2023,Wanderung

Already the way to Trieste is beautiful between karst and sea the road meanders with wonderful views. From the parking lot here A you can park the car for free and continue with one of the numerous buses in any direction. There are beautiful hiking and cycling trails through the beautiful landscape to Slovenia, I will postpone them to spring …

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August 1, 2023,Guten Morgen in Triest 🇮🇹

Let's go on a little flying visit through the streets of Trieste.
We start via the Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia and stroll past the town hall and the Teatro Romano to the Canal Grande. Everywhere for Italy typical, hustle and bustle. Scooters, lots of honking drivers 😉, people sitting in street cafes and enjoying their cappuccino, pretty little shops and a …

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