It is here, probably, that the first fortified settlement was built, the predecessor of Roman Tergeste.

In 1382 Trieste, worn out by the constant Venetian reprisals, signed the act of Surrender to Austria. In 1468 Frederick III ordered the building, at the citizens' expense, of a Fortress flanked by a tower at the top of the San Giusto hill as a residence for the Imperial Captain, representative of the Habsburgs in the city.

The three sides of the current triangular perimeter walls of the Captain's House were added over the centuries.

The first, Bastione rotondo, was built in 1508-09, perhaps as a taunt, by the Venetians, who occupied the city for a year. It was followed by the polygonal south-eastern Bastione Lalio in 1557, and finally, in 1636, by the third bastion, Bastione Fiorito, which completed the fortress.

The Castle never experienced significant military activity, and so has endured until today. 

With its strategic location the ramparts offer stunning views over the city and the Gulf of Trieste. In the museum, housed in the Captain's House, visitors can admire the Late Gothic San Giorgio Chapel and Giuseppe Caprin's sumptuous Sala Veneta. It also contains a rich collection of weapons dating from the twelfth century to the nineteenth.

The Lalio Bastion houses the Lapidario Tergestino, containing around 130 inscriptions, bas-reliefs and sculptures that have helped to reconstruct the history and appearance of Roman Tergeste.

The exhibition halls of the Bastione Fiorito, with its panoramic terrace, host temporary exhibitions included in the Museum ticket.

Points of Interest 
At the entrance you can admire the original statues of "Mikez and Jakez", the two automata that mark the hours on the bell tower of the Trieste Town Hall.