Saturday

4) 10 A.M. White Market

Soap opera magazines, olive oil, Pugliese peppers, shoelaces, bouquets, old circus clown paintings, faded postcards, ginger-apple jam and that vintage Doris Day album: You can now strike these items from your shopping list. All are on offer at the Mercato Coperto, a two-level space from the 1930s with touches of Art Deco. Downstairs, the pungent smells of regional bounty emanate from produce stands, fishmongers and flower stalls. Upstairs, you’ll find a riot of secondhand furniture, electronics, housewares and collectibles.

5) Noon; Antiques and Art

Museo Revoltella is vivid proof that Italian art continued to thrive after the Renaissance. The upper floors of the museum — three combined historical palazzi — display 19th- and 20th-century Italian painters (and a few expatriated foreigners) who might not be household names, but whose works are worthy of awe: Giorgio Belloni’s moody nature scenes, Vito Timmel’s radiant characters and Edgardo Sambo’s melancholy nude women. The opulent historical rooms of the lower floors are a treasure of decorative arts, from the vast ballroom to the ornate library, lined with leather-bound volumes. Admission, 7 euros.

A dish at Alla Sorgente. Credit Susan Wright for The New York Times



6) 2 P.M. Ham Session

A cannon-size mortadella greets visitors to Trattoria da Giovanni, a decades-old, wood-lined restaurant. All day, locals crowd the counter for slices from this monster or from an endless succession of fresh-cooked pink hams, which the bartenders slide into thick rolls with shaved horseradish and mustard. Grab an outdoor table and order from the chalkboard menu, which might include local treats like jota (a hearty soup that usually includes beans, potatoes and pork), or lush, sweet sauerkraut topped with plump sausages, roasted pork chunks and succulent pig’s tongue. A glass of malbec, served from a wooden cask, and a slice of strudel complete your Triestino tasting. Lunch for two costs around 20 to 30 euros.

7) 4 P.M. Grappa and Gowns

Some of the most compelling shops in Trieste line Via Felice Venezian. The eponymous proprietors of La Piccola Bottega Spiritosa di Piolo & Max distill artisanal vermouth, grappa, absinthe and divinterrano — a sweet concoction of wine, fruit juice, cinnamon and other ingredients — as well as additional boozy elixirs that they sell in their boutique. The delicacies at Delikatessen Modernariato & Collezionismo are mostly vintage furniture and design, including anatomy posters and industrial lamps. And whether you’re seeking a thimble collection, Olivetti typewriters or just a simple bust of King Tut, the dusty treasure trove known as Il Mondo di Didy can help.

8) 6 P.M. Trieste Tradition

A predinner aperitivo is a ritual here, and the Piazza Cavana area offers some of the friendliest stops for a glass and a bite. A subtle maritime theme pervades Al Ciketo, a new spot lined with distressed wooden boards from old ships and metal lampshades made from paint cans. The tasty cicchetti (snacks, 1 euro) — bread topped with salami, codfish spread, mortadella and the like — pair nicely with a glass of the warm, smooth local red blend from the Sancin winery (3.50 euros). Bigger and brighter, Life is a favorite for its free buffet — cold pasta, roasted vegetables, Parmesan cheese — and Hugo cocktails (white wine, sparkling water, elderflower juice, mint, lime; 4 euros).

Restaurants and bars along the Canal Grande. Credit Susan Wright for The New York Times



9) 8 P.M. Trieste Two Ways

Experimental or traditional? Pepenero Pepebianco, a vaulted contemporary restaurant decorated in autumnal tones, sends local ingredients down both culinary paths. The adventurous trail gives an Asian touch to artichoke (fried and served with burrata foam) and red tuna (served with sesame seeds and apricot-ginger sauce), while jazzing up scallops (courtesy of black cabbage and smoked goose ham) and mussel soup (with candied tomato, seaweed and coriander). For a more classic taste of Trieste, potato gnocchi get a meaty infusion from stewed veal tail and crunch from chopped asparagus. Pistachio gelato is an earthy coda. A three-course dinner for two costs about 100 euros.

10) 10 P.M. Spirits in the Night

Stepping into Antico Caffè Torinese is like stepping into 1919 — the year of the cafe’s birth — thanks to the dark wood paneling, marble counter and chandelier. Now run by a young team, the cafe is also an ace cocktail bar where you can sip a sweet-sour-herbal Americano (6 euros) while flipping through books like “Trieste Romantica.” Spring ahead in time at Urbanis, whose glamorous-gaudy decorative mix seems plucked from 1980s Soho in New York: gold tables, shimmery gold cushions, mosaic floor, Art Deco lamps. The lengthy cocktail menu is state of the art, however. In addition to classics, famous and obscure, you can sample the sublime house Vini Vidi Vici (Laphroaig Scotch, Pineau des Charentes-fortified wine, and bitters; 13.50 euros), which comes in a large chalice filled with a carved, gemlike ice cube: a drink to honor a conqueror (or console the vanquished).