by Alessandra Ressa
On a quiet stretch of Via Udine, a castle-like building at number 43 stands as a forgotten relic of Trieste’s past. Once a lively refuge for British sailors, the British Seamen’s Home was a strategic solution to an unruly maritime presence that threatened the reputation of the city’s influential English community.
In the late 19th century, British ships dominated Trieste’s port. According to British historian Kenneth Baker, nearly half of the vessels docking in the city flew the Union Jack. With the influx of these sailors came trouble: public drunkenness, street brawls, and reports of harassment flooded police stations and local newspapers. To curb the disorder, British authorities sought a solution—one that would simultaneously protect their commercial interests and social standing.
The answer came in 1895, when architect Isidoro Piani was commissioned to design the British Seamen’s Home, or Casa del Marinaio Inglese. Located in what was then known as Contrada del Belvedere, the site provided an ideal setting: close to the port, yet removed from the city’s bustling taverns. The project was spearheaded by the British community in Trieste, with funding managed by an executive committee under the supervision of British Consul John Haggard. Financial backing came from British shipping companies, prominent entrepreneurs, and, most notably, the Davis sisters—wealthy benefactors whose philanthropy extended to Trieste’s much-debated Indoor Market (Mercato Coperto) in Via Carducci.
Designed in an eclectic mix of medieval and neo-Gothic styles, the two-story structure remains a striking contrast to the later, more utilitarian buildings surrounding it. Its slender turrets and battlements evoke an era of grandeur, even as the street today bears the marks of neglect.
For nearly two decades, the British Seamen’s Home provided shelter to sailors looking for respite from the sea—until history intervened. When World War I broke out in 1914, Trieste, then under Austro-Hungarian rule, found itself at odds with Britain. The home shuttered, its purpose rendered obsolete. After the war, some Britons returned to resume their business ventures, but the city’s economic landscape had shifted. With the loss of its vast Austrian trade network, Trieste’s prominence as a maritime hub waned. By 1926, the British Seamen’s Home had closed for good.
Its story did not end there. The building later housed the Anti-Tuberculosis Provincial Consortium before being converted into private apartments. Today, its history is little more than a footnote—an architectural curiosity on an overlooked street. Yet, for those who pause to look up at its turrets, the echoes of Trieste’s British past remain.
