"Mitteleuropa" is that central area of Europe (from the German mittel, centre) that coincides with what used to be the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It therefore includes Trieste, an important and the only outlet on to the Mediterranean sea for the Habsburgs, in that it is geographically situated in the heart of this area.
The term Mitteleuropean is not just a geographical frontier, but also a culture and a geo-political and historical character that Trieste can still boast, thanks to the legacy of its past, to the Austrian atmosphere that fills the air (it is sufficient to stand in Piazza Unità d’Italia and admire the buildings on the three sides), to that substrata of culture that still survives in various Associations, initiatives, building, memories...