by InTrieste
In a press conference on Monday, Fabio Scoccimarro, the Regional Councillor for Environmental Protection, Energy, and Sustainable Development, emphasized the urgent need to enhance Trieste’s coastal defenses amid growing vulnerability to extreme weather events linked to climate change.
“We’ve allocated €2.5 million for this year and next, along with an additional €1 million from other resources, but that won’t be enough to fully secure the Barcola coastline,” Scoccimarro stated. “Our immediate goal is to restore the area to its pre-storm conditions after last November’s sea storms, which devastated the coastline. But we must prepare for what lies ahead. These aren’t isolated events—they will become more frequent and intense, as scientists have warned.”
The violent storms of November 2023 wreaked havoc on Barcola, one of Trieste’s most cherished seaside areas, washing away sections of the coastline and damaging infrastructure. Nearly a year later, the beach has yet to fully recover. While the promenade restoration is nearing completion, the Topolini section of the beach is not expected to be finished until summer 2025, according to Town Councillor for Urban Works Elisa Lodi. “The work on Topolini will proceed in parallel with the restoration of the coastline, which falls under the responsibility of the regional government,” Lodi explained.
Scoccimarro, who once worked as a lifeguard in the area, reflected on the environmental changes. “Back in the last century, we didn’t need these kinds of rock barriers,” he noted. “But with climate change driving more extreme and frequent events, we have no choice but to adapt.”
When asked about the potential impact of storms this fall, Fabio Cella, Director of the Soil Protection Service and Deputy Central Director, offered a sobering outlook. “If the storm happens again this fall, we’ll face the same damage,” Cella warned. “But next year, hopefully by March, we’ll finish all the works and the protection from another storm.”
In addition to these efforts, the regional government plans to restore neglected rock barriers just meters from the shore, which protect the coastline from the Barcola embankment to the Cedas marina. After fifty years without maintenance, these barriers have been eroded and displaced by decades of wave action, rendering them ineffective against storms like last year’s. The region has allocated €3 million for this restoration, which will involve recovering fallen boulders through dredging and repositioning them, with work expected to begin within the year and conclude by spring.
The objective is to safeguard the waterfront from adverse weather, particularly as the municipality prepares to commence repairs on the Topolini area, which was devastated by last November’s storm. An investment of €2.1 million will kick off construction by December, aiming to restore the facilities from Topolini 4 to 7 that were closed this year, in time for the next bathing season.
Looking ahead, the regional government is studying the feasibility of extending the rock barrier to the boundary of the protected Miramare area. According to Scoccimarro and Lodi, the future lies in the ambitious Core project, which proposes altering the coastline and constructing breakwaters and piers. This initiative, shaped by feedback from thousands of citizens, could fundamentally transform Barcola.
Interviews: Fabio Soccimarro, regional councilor for environmental protection; Elisa Lodi, town councilor for urban planning; Fabio Cella, Director of the Soil Protection Service and Deputy Central Director
