After World War I, Trieste is a city torn apart on its inside with a lacerated soul, thousands of german triestines left and were soon replaced by Italian immigrants, war left a legacy of grief and economical breakdown, the city has gone from being the main harbour of the Empire to be one of the many Italians ports. Everything has to be rebuilt, even the identity, the irredentists now struggle to identify themselves as Italian citizens. Slovenian people have to face a liberal government that is slowly becoming fascist, jews feel the breaking of their newly achieved economic and cultural hegemony – it will lead to their persecution and genocide. Violent and desperate acts begin to accumulate, due to difficulty and refusal to fit in the new order born from the tragedy of the war.
Trieste during the Fascist period is comparable to a teenager who knows himself barely and poorly, not able to properly explain himself because he thinks he’s the center of everything, and by doing so he fails in his present and past analysis. Future is bleary.