by MK
Every Saturday we’re spotlighting remarkable local females who could change the way we look at the world. This Saturday is Eugenia Fenzi’s turn, head manager at Antico Caffè San Marco and a passionate promoter of the territory.
Triestina in love with her city, Eugenia Fenzi talks to us about Caffè San Marco, what it means to be local and why Trieste is not what you would expect it to be.
Were you born in Trieste?
Eugenia: My dad was a traveling actor and a director born in Rovigo and raised in Genova. He met my mom while on tour in Trieste, fell in love and a few years later I was born. My mom is a classic Triestina with parents from Muggia and Pirano, a beautiful mix with Istria.
Did you grow up in Trieste?
For the first four years of my life I lived up in Carso, in a small village called Rupin Grande. I went to a Slovenian daycare but my family didn’t speak any Slovene and nobody could help me with homework so eventually we had to move back to the city. We would however always go up to my grandma’s house for long Sunday lunches with family.
Have you always lived here?
No, while studying Political Science at the University of Trieste, I embarked on the Erasmus adventure in Spain. I instantly fell in love with the country and after graduating, I moved to Madrid to pursue my Master’s degree and eventually start working.
Why did you come back to Trieste?
One day I got a call from my mom saying that my dad was sick and I had to come back. I am am only child so I packed up and moved back to my hometown. I love Trieste, but I often think about this turning point in my life and what it meant leaving the life I had in Spain behind.
Were you happy you did?
When you’re 20 you want to escape whatever city you’re born in. Once you’ve traveled the world, you see Trieste through different eyes. I knew I wanted to make a difference in this city by making it better. I first worked at the Luchetta foundation, and at one of its events I met my partner, Alexandros Delithanassis. Later I worked as a former mayor’s spokeswoman as I saw politics as a means to ameliorate our city.
And how did you decide to take up San Marco?
Eight years ago the café, which is owned by the Generali group, was still closed as the previous owner had passed away. Alexandros’s dad, who is originally from Greece, had a publishing house right in front of the synagogue. Alexandros and I thought it would be fantastic to bring the bookshop inside the café. We got a positive answer only when one day Claudio Magris’s piece questioning why San Marco was still closed ended up in the national paper, Corriere della Sera.
Fantastic.
And thus our adventure here has begun. San Marco has always been a place for intellectuals and a meeting point for many, but before it was only a coffee shop. We brought the library in and also the restaurant. So now you can combine the two passions for great food and literature.
Did you use to come here before managing it?
San Marco has always been part of my life one way or the other. Just the other day I saw an article in Il Piccolo with my dad’s picture in it. San Marco was going through a rough period in the 90’s and a bunch of artists decided to get together and help it out by creating a co-op. The president of that cooperative was my dad.
What a story!
Also, I celebrated my 18th birthday here. Little did I know that some years later I would be in charge of this magnificent place.
It sounds like you love what you do.
Absolutely. I am passionate about promoting Trieste’s territory through food and wine. And I see San Marco as the place which celebrates producers from our beautiful territory continuously and where people can come in contact with it.
What’s your favorite wine?
I love whites, so definitely Vitoska, the most famous native grape variety of Carso, Gorizia and Slovenia. I admire local producers for their life philosophy, and the way they take care of the land. Also, these winemakers are heroic as Carso’s land is not easy to cultivate.
What about food- what should one absolutely try in Trieste?
Cheese with Carso’s herbs, Vitoska wine, bianchera olive oil from Val Rosandra and grilled sardines. Oh, and radicchio al primo taglio.
You’re also passionate about environment.
Yes, I am the head of FAI delegation since 2019. I help promote the beauty of our region with many volunteers who help protect elements of Italy’s physical heritage which might otherwise be lost.
What does it mean to be Triestini?
It’s not an easy questions. To be from Trieste means to be an atypical Italian. Triestini love their freedom and are ready to fight for it. The city is multicultural and multireligious with “live and let live” philosophy. Being a border city, we have always lived in the thick of history. My daughter Sofia, who was born in Trieste in 2016 to a half Greek dad and a Triestine mom, and who goes to the Hebrew school is a perfect example of what it means to be a contemporary Triestina.
Do you speak the dialect?
Little. We’ve always spoken Italian at home.
How do you know you’re a true Triestina?
When on a strong bora day I go for a walk on Molo Audace. As most Triestini, I feel good being on my own.
Future plans?
I am someone who always strives for more and never settles. For example, we have a new project coming up in Muggia. We are going to open a summer restaurant right by the sea, with cicchetti (side dishes) and good wine.
