Rive

The strips of stone slabs along the waterfront of Trieste give a substantial contribution to the general idea of order transmitted by this renewed historical city. The walkways replicate the sinuosity of the coast, absorbing its roughness in smooth curves, and engage the monumental public spaces of Piazza Unità d'Italia by connecting the surf with the very nearby buildings. This reciprocal tension between coast and city can be seen in the way the slabs of the walkway was laid, orthogonal to both; the curbs are responsible for marking the main direction. In full accordance with local tradition, the flooring is made of sandstone slabs in Colombino stone, while the edges employ blocks of pietra di Aurisina. Overall, 5,700 square meters of sandstone slabs and 4,770 ml of marble bordure were used, with the main dimensional particularity of high thickness. This is the result, following the logic of historical floorings along the coast, of the analysis of the consistency of the underlaying ground near the sea: loamy and brackish. This means that the blocks should be thicker, to obtain greater stability over time. The specific geographic and climatic conditions, in particular regarding the joint action of saltiness and the Bora wind, has not prevented the matching between the green and the plants with the walkway and lounging flooring. The waterfront is therefore provided with new itineraries, punctuated by tranquil areas, urban furnishings, monumental areas and connections with the city's most representative public spaces. They connect two urban polarities, merging historical and new harbor furnishings. They become a veritable element of connection between the sea and the buildings. They offer, to to speak, a uniform support surface in common with the different façades of the monumental architecture that faces the sea. They restore not only the merely viability element, but a privileged point of view of and for the city.