by InTrieste
In the cobbled heart of Trieste, where trams still rattle through piazza Oberdan, two lovers are frozen in time — immortalized not only in bronze but now also in literature.
Christian Klinger, an Austrian author known for his noir novels, has turned to historical fiction in his latest work, Gli innamorati di piazza Oberdan (The Lovers of Piazza Oberdan), a poignant narrative that resurrects the story of Pino Robusti and Laura Mulli, young lovers torn apart by war.
The real-life Robusti, a university student and anti-fascist resistance fighter, was arrested by Nazi forces on March 19, 1945, while waiting for Laura near what is now a busy traffic hub. He was later executed at the Risiera di San Sabba, Italy’s only Nazi concentration camp.
“I was struck by the intimacy of their tragedy,” said Klinger, who discovered the story through Trieste sottosopra, a book by Mauro Covacich. “It wasn’t just a political tale. It was about love, youth, and an ordinary boy caught in extraordinary violence.”
Through meticulous research — prison letters, historical records, and interviews — Klinger reconstructed the emotional terrain of Pino and Laura’s world. What emerged is a delicate weaving of fact and fiction that renders the past not only vivid but achingly human.
The novel, translated by Federico Scarpin and published by Bottega Errante Edizioni, was launched earlier this year as part of the Trieste Film Festival. Its publication coincides with a growing local interest in the city’s World War II history — a history that is often overshadowed by the more dominant narratives of Italy’s larger metropolises.
To commemorate Robusti and Mulli, a fountain by the sculptor Tristano Alberti, titled Cantico dei Cantici, stands in piazza Oberdan — a quiet tribute amid the city’s bustle. Locals pass it every day, few knowing the full story behind the figures carved into stone.
But thanks to Klinger’s evocative prose, and the recent presentation of the novel at the Società dei Concerti, their story is being rediscovered — not just as a tale of youthful passion, but as a testament to the quiet courage of a generation.
“The past speaks to us,” Klinger said during his reading at Teatro Verdi. “Sometimes we just need to listen more closely.”
