# Risiera di San Sabba: free entry, from 9 am

> The Risiera di San Sabba in Trieste, a former rice mill used as a Nazi police camp, is free to enter. Until October 11 it opens 9 am to 7 pm (2026).

URL: https://myitalia.it/attractions/risiera-di-san-sabba
Last updated: 2026-09-11

The Risiera di San Sabba in Trieste, a rice mill the German occupiers turned into a police detention camp, is free to enter and opens 9 am to 7 pm until October 11, with last entry at 6:30 pm (2026).

## Free entry, and an audioguide for €3.50

There is no ticket: entry to the Risiera is free, and the only charge is €3.50 for the audioguide (2026).

The site is a civic museum run by the city of Trieste. It asks the same of every visitor: time, and quiet.

## Two timetables, and the change on October 12

From March 1 to October 11 the Risiera opens 9 am to 7 pm, with last entry at 6:30 pm. From October 12 it closes at 5 pm, with last entry at 4:30 pm (19:00 and 17:00 at the gate).

In mid-autumn, the switch takes two hours off the afternoon. A visit planned for 5:30 pm in late October is a visit to a closed gate.

## A rice mill, then a camp

The building went up between 1898 and 1913 as a plant for husking rice, and after the German occupation it became a Polizeihaftlager, a police detention camp.

The building you walk into is that factory, and it was a factory before it was anything else.

## National Monument in 1965, museum in 1975

President Giuseppe Saragat declared the Risiera a National Monument on April 15, 1965, and it has been a civic museum since 1975.

The architect Romano Boico designed the restoration that shapes the visit today. The Sala delle Croci is only partly accessible.

## Buses 8 and 10, via Giovanni Palatucci 5

City buses 8 and 10 serve the Risiera, at via Giovanni Palatucci 5, with the entrance from piazzale De Simone.

Frequencies aren't among the verified figures, so check the timetable for your day before relying on the last bus back.

## Piazza Unità: a name dated 1955

Piazza Unità d'Italia has carried that name since 1955, when Trieste returned to Italy; from 1867 to 1918 it was Piazza Francesco Giuseppe.

It measures 12,280 square meters and opens straight onto the gulf, framed by seven palaces from Palazzo Pitteri (1780) to the Municipio (1875). The Fountain of the Four Continents dates from 1751 to 1754, and the square's asphalt was replaced with stone paving between 2001 and 2005.

The line that it's Europe's largest square on the sea is repeated everywhere and confirmed by no institutional source. The history behind both places is in [Trieste was not Italian](/stories/trieste-was-not-italian); the rest of the city is on [Trieste](/towns/trieste).

## FAQ

### Is the Risiera di San Sabba free?

Yes. Entry to the Risiera di San Sabba is free, and the only charge is €3.50 for the audioguide (2026). It has been a civic museum of the city of Trieste since 1975 and a National Monument since 1965.

### What are the Risiera di San Sabba opening hours?

From March 1 to October 11, 9 am to 7 pm with last entry at 6:30 pm. From October 12, 9 am to 5 pm with last entry at 4:30 pm (2026).

### How do you get to the Risiera di San Sabba?

By city bus 8 or 10. The address is via Giovanni Palatucci 5, with the entrance from piazzale De Simone. Bus frequencies aren't among the verified figures here, so check the timetable for your day.

### What was the Risiera di San Sabba?

A rice-husking plant built between 1898 and 1913, which the German occupiers turned into a Polizeihaftlager, a police detention camp. It has been a National Monument since April 15, 1965.

### How big is Piazza Unità d'Italia in Trieste?

12,280 square meters, open directly onto the gulf and framed by seven palaces. The claim that it's Europe's largest square facing the sea is repeated by guides but not confirmed by any institutional source.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Risiera di San Sabba e' un ex pilatoio di riso costruito fra il 1898 e il 1913 e trasformato in Polizeihaftlager dopo l'occupazione tedesca: e' Monumento Nazionale dal 15 aprile 1965 e Civico Museo dal 1975, con ingresso gratuito | [Civico Museo della Risiera di San Sabba - Comune di Trieste](https://risierasansabba.it/la-storia/); [doc 2](https://www.risierasansabba.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Piazza Unita' d'Italia a Trieste misura 12.280 metri quadrati, si apre direttamente sul golfo ed e' incorniciata da sette palazzi, dal Municipio del 1875 al palazzo Pitteri del 1780; porta questo nome dal 1955, dopo il ritorno di Trieste all'Italia | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Unit%C3%A0_d%27Italia) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.trieste.1600.jpg
Author: Diego Delso. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ayuntamiento,_Trieste,_Italia,_2017-04-15,_DD_10.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/attrazioni/risiera-di-san-sabba.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/atracciones/risiera-di-san-sabba.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/attractions/risiera-di-san-sabba.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/sehenswuerdigkeiten/risiera-di-san-sabba.md