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Libreria Antiquaria Umberto Saba
Via San Nicolò, 30About
This is a place that has to be visited, and not just by bookworms. In fact, this bookshop is much more than just a simple shop, it is a museum, a piece of the city's history. It was founded just after the Second World War by one of Trieste's most famous poets, Umberto Saba (1883-1957). He was an important poet from Venezia Giulia, and more importantly of 20th-century Italy, and he made this bookshop become famous all over the country. Nothing has changed in this shop since the day it was opened, and even the atmosphere that you breath in is very suggestive and fascinating. Saba made this bookshop into a meeting place for Trieste's intellectuals such as Svevo, Stuparich and Giotti, and high caliber Italian authors like Levi, Montale, and Comisso. The poet liked to define his shop as "an escape from all the horrors of the time". Nowadays the efficient aspects of a modern bookshop are blended in with the old books and the traditions of this shop which must not be lost. It is a gold mine for antique and rare book collectors. The location is also good, situated at a few paces from the spectacular Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia and right in the middle of a pedestrian zone. Today this bookshop is run by Mario Cerne, son of Carlo, who was the poet's colleague since 1924.
