S ultry, windy and highly caffeinated, Italy’s toehold on the northeast Adriatic coast offers a cultural mix without the crowds of Florence or Venice. Triestinos rave about living the good life here — days spent at beach clubs, sailing, skiing in the Dolomites, wine tasting in the limestone karst hills, always finishing with a sunset aperitivo by the sea.

With one foot in Mitteleuropa and a legacy of Austro-Hungarian rule still evident in the culinary scene, Trieste offers a different, multicultural flavour of Italian, with a personality imbued by the wild bora wind that tears through it. A new fashion museum and increasing coffee and cruise tourism may change things, but for now, visiting feels like unravelling an undiscovered secret.

▶ The ITS Arcademy fashion museum is now open for previews and will fully open in March (itsweb.org). It will showcase an archive of young graduate designers’ inventive pieces. All were entries in Trieste’s long-running international fashion competition, ITS Contest, whose past participants include the Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia, creative director at Balenciaga and co-founder of luxury brand Vetements.

▶ Occupying a dramatic position on the Grignano promontory to the west, Miramare Castle is one of Italy’s most important museums, a fairytale palace built in the 1850s for Archduke Maximilian of Austria and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium (£10; miramare.beniculturali.it). The opulent love nest is set in lush gardens that are free to wander.

▶ Above the old town and next to a castle of the same name is San Giusto, a hilltop cathedral, parts of which date from the 6th century. To see the apse’s Byzantine mosaics at their best, take euro coins to activate illuminating lights that make them glimmer (free; sangiustomartire.it).

▶ Though it can’t lay claim to Bounty-ad sands, Trieste’s beach clubs (both posh and basic) and concrete swimming platforms are irresistible for sea dips. Unmissable is Bagno Marino La Lanterna (aka El Pedocin), an old-school public bathing facility whose pebble beach is divided for men and women by a wall (90p; discover-trieste.it).

▶ The little brown bean is hugely important to Italy’s coffee capital. Tour its beautiful Viennese-style coffee houses and learn its unique coffee terminology: “capo in B” is a macchiato in a glass; “nero” an espresso. Antico Caffe San Marco (caffesanmarco.com) and Caffe Tommaseo (caffetommaseo.it) are some of the most elegant spots to indulge. An espresso at the counter typically costs one euro and comes with a shot of sweet frozen coffee on the side.

▶ Wander the Grand Canal, once the city’s main port and lined with neoclassical buildings constructed by merchants who made their fortunes after Trieste became a duty-free port in 1719. Local caffeine power-brand Illy’s shop-café is here (illy.com), as is the Carlo Schmidl theatre museum (museoschmidl.it) — and of course admiring the motorboats.

Unlike in other, bigger cities, where the latest hip neighbourhood lies out in some industrial wasteland, Trieste’s cool bit, the Cavana district, is right next to the main square, Piazza Unita d’Italia. European investment helped to spur a mushroom-growth of design-led cafés, delis and rough-luxe bars over the past two decades, transforming the former no-go zone. Piazza di Cavana, Via di Cavana and Via Torino are the beating heart. Try the cute café Chocolat, with its outdoor communal table, and clothes shopping at Bardot (planbstudio.it) and Être (etre-conceptstore.com), then follow the locals into the backstreets and the bars spilling onto Piazza del Barbacan, where a party atmosphere prevails at the weekend.

Pier Take your time over platters of fritto misto or tomatoey scampi pasta on this chic harbourside restaurant’s decked terrace overlooking the Adriatic. Then head up to the Roof bar for a sunset spritz bianco, the typical Trieste tipple (mains from £12; pierts.it).

Harry’s Piccolo/Bistro Harry’s Piccolo is Trieste’s only Michelin-starred restaurant (a two-star in this case), headed by local boy Matteo Metullio and Davide De Pra, whose creative dishes include lobster with watermelon and black pepper (mains from £35, seven-course tasting menu £190; harrystrieste.it). Their cheaper classics with a twist at the adjoining Harry’s Bistro work magic with local ingredients just as well (mains from £17).

Buffet da Pepi Whether you want knuckle, stew, neck or shoulder, pork is the order of the day at this most famous of Trieste’s “buffets”, the name for the city’s Austro-Hungarian canteens. Slabs of meat are cleaved at the counter, staff have no time for niceties, and sauerkraut is the go-to side (mains from £7; buffetdapepi1897.it).

Jazzin Gelateria There’s a gelato bar on every corner but Jazzin, near the seafront, is top of the (ice) pops, displaying scrumptious ice creams, sorbets and lollies in flavours from lime to liquorice (from £2.70; no website).

Osmizas Hidden amid the karst scenery that forms a backdrop to the city are dozens of osmizas, informal pop-up restaurants that open at private houses for a few different weeks a year. Another Austro-Hungarian hangover, they originated as a means for peasant producers to flog their excess salami, cheese and wine for authorised eight-day periods. Gabrovec Ivan is a lovely one, in a tree-shaded courtyard. See osmize.com for year-round openings.

Nero di Seppia This excellent fish-focused trattoria serves local specialities such as roast branzino, a Mediterranean white fish, or gnocchi with vongole, in a down-to-earth space. Pair it with a deliciously mineral white from the boutique wineries up in the karst or from neighbouring Slovenia (mains from £13; trattorianerodiseppia.com).

Victoria Hotel Letterario This self-styled “literary hotel”, in a neoclassical building once home to the city’s most famous adopted author, James Joyce, has 44 softly hued rooms and a wellness area with whirlpool and gym. Situated behind San Giusto castle and cathedral, it’s handy for stomping the sights too (B&B doubles from £73; hotelvictoriatrieste.com).

L’Albero Nascosto Oak floors and antique furniture add interest to the ten large airy rooms of this relaxed boutique option on Via Felice Venezian, a thoroughfare running back from the harbour. The generous buffet breakfast prides itself on featuring 16 types of honey (B&B doubles from £102; alberonascosto.it).

Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta Occupying a prime spot on the Piazza Unita d’Italia, the city’s seafront square, this classy 42-room number — glitzy fittings, polished marble and polished service too — is the finest bolt hole in town. A subterranean, mosaic-tiled pool and well-chosen modern art add contemporary flair (room-only doubles from £215; duchidaosta.com).

Take to the Gulf of Trieste and ride a ferry along the coast to Barcola, Grignano or Muggia (singles from £2.70; delfinoverde.it). Barcola hosts a spectacular annual sailing regatta (October; barcolana.it).

Gemma Bowes was a guest of the Friuli Venezia Giulia tourist board (turismofvg.it) and the Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta

Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Twitter

Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.