Music and theatre

"Tombs of my forefathers"
Theatrical and musical itineraries in the Sant’Anna Cemetery

The tour among the tombs of opera composers in Trieste's Sant’Anna Cemetery unfolds via an itinerary that celebrates the memory of artists who have marked the musical and theatrical history of the city. This journey through the "Tombs of my forefathers" begins with the tomb of the Ricci family, which holds the remains of Federico Ricci, a composer originally from Naples but a Trieste native by choice, and his mother Rachele. Federico and his brother Luigi, both talented musicians, contributed to the musical vibrancy of Trieste in the 19th century, with works such as Il colonnello and Il disertore per amore.
Moving on, we come to the tomb of the Sinico family, which brings us back to an eminently local dimension. Francesco Sinico, chapel master at Santa Maria Maggiore, founded a choir school and was involved in promoting singing in the city's schools. His son Giuseppe continued his father's teaching work and, as composer, left an indelible mark on Trieste's musical tradition. The work destined to consecrate his fame is Marinella, a Trieste opera in its own right. The final chorus, Hymn to San Giusto, was immediately established as the song of Risorgimento Trieste.
The third stop is the tomb of Antonio Smareglia, an illustrious composer born in Vodnjan in Istria, a character whose biography and artistic story brings together the characteristics of Trieste's multicultural dimension. The author of works such as Nozze Istriane and Oceana, Smareglia lived between Vienna, Milan and Trieste, embracing a European vocation that reflects the city's mixture of peoples and cultures.
The tour continues with the tomb of Eugenio Visnoviz, a young Trieste pianist and composer who died at the very early age of 26. His tombstone, adorned with a sleeping female figure holding a lyre, evokes the sweetness and tragedy of his short life. Visnoviz, the composer of several chamber music compositions and lieders, represents the spirit of Trieste's instrumental tradition.
Finally, the journey ends at the grave of the Lovrich family, where Giorgio Strehler, one of the greatest theatre directors of the 20th century, rests. Strehler, born in Trieste, shaped Italian public theatre by founding the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. His tombstone, with the phrase “Take with you the example of a theatrical morality for a better world of greater goodness”, is a warning for the present and for the future.
This itinerary among the tombs of Sant'Anna is not only a journey through the past, but also a tribute to the artistic and multicultural richness of Trieste, a city that has been able to welcome and value talents of different origins, leaving an indelible mark in the history of melodrama and theatre.