The Canal Grande cuts into the heart of the Borgo Teresiano district, running inland from the harbour for about 200 metres and flanked by neoclassical palaces built during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is nothing like Venice's canals in scale or drama, but it is a genuinely attractive urban space — the water reflecting the facades, a row of boats moored at the Ponterosso end, and the Church of Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo closing the vista at the far end.
The James Joyce statue stands on the Ponte Rosso (Red Bridge), mid-stride, walking stick in hand — a natural gathering point for literary tourists. The fish market at the Ponterosso is worth visiting early in the morning for pane e sardoni and a sense of the working harbour.
The cafés and restaurants along the canal are the obvious place to sit outside on a warm afternoon. This is also the neighbourhood to explore for the Serbian Orthodox Church of San Spyridon, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the synagogue — reminders that Trieste under the Habsburgs was genuinely multinational.