Refreshment tasting meeting 'MareinFVG' Fish Very Good

The Chamber of Commerce The building was commissioned by the deputation of Stock Exchange (founded 1755) that, at the end of 1700's, felt the need for a better and more adequate headquarters for the stock exchange meetings. The plot, which was still a swamp at the time, was acquired in 1799. Two different projects were submitted in 1800, one by Matteo Pertsch, the architect behind several buildings in Trieste such as the New Theater (il teatro nuovo) and the Carciotti Palace (Palazzo Carciotti), and another one by Antonio Mollari. The Academy of Fine Arts of Parma chose the project from Mollari. The construction works began in 1802 and the palace was inaugurated in 1805. In 1844 the Stock Exchange activity was transferred to the Tergersteo palace, where it is still today, and the old palace became the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce. The building, subject to constraints under de protection of the General Direction for historical, artistic and demo-anthropological heritage, received several important restoration works to improve its structural consolidation during the 70´s, and the facade and ornaments were restored in 2005 on the occasion of the 250 anniversary of the foundation of the chambers of commerce system. The palace represents a Doric style temple with a pronaos marked by four Doric columns which form a large concourse. On the aedicule at ground level there are four statues made by different professors of the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice: Europe and Africa were made by Bartolomeo Ferrari, Asia by Domenico Banti, and America by Antonio Bosa, a sculpture student of Canova who left a great mark in the historical neoclassical style of Trieste. On the "nobel floor", at the level of the windows, there are two statues representing Vulcano and Mercury, made by Banti and Ferrari respectively. The upper section, over the balustrade, contains another four of Bosa's pieces: from right to left the "Danubio" (a course of water, which at that time was already considered essential for the development of the city), the "Genius of Trieste" (holding a shield with the emblem of the city), "Minerva" (with a helmet, the head of Medusa on the chest and an owl near the feet, she holds a shield on one hand that contains a medallion of Francis II of Austria and with the other hand points at the genius of Trieste, image of the sovereign), and "Neptune" (protector of sailors and symbol of navigation). Danubio and Neptune, placed on both ends, lend a hand to each other while looking at the two central statues. It is interesting to observe the loggia with the Doric columns on the ground floor. There is a splendid sundial on the floor created by Sebastianutti from Friuli in 1820. A solar ray of light used to enter through the perimeter wall during ten minutes to indicate the local midday time, signaling the time of closure of negotiations at the stock exchange market. The sundial still indicates the local time, although it does not point out the date accurately anymore, as the perimeter walls have shifted down due to a minor subsidence of the land. The vault of the room in the center is decorated with frescos that represent an evocative scene of the proclamation of the Porto Franco of Trieste by Charles VI, made by Giuseppe Bernardino Bison. (Taken from www.turismofvg.it/en/)