Hidden Italy
The Imperial Free City of Trieste
S1 E15:
Threatened by the pressing Venetian advance, in 1382 Trieste submitted to the Habsburgs and hosted the Imperial Captain in the Girolamo Decio-designed fortress. In 1719 it was granted the status of free port by Charles IV of Habsburg: not only the Austrian railway connected the city to Vienna, but it was also the first docking area and international trade hub of the Empire.