Trieste can offer a good choice of sports opportunities in all fields although a high percentage of local population is middle aged and the activities available to younger people are really wide. We should consider the location of the town between the sea and the hilly area of the Carso quite suitable to enjoy open-air sports. Everyone can practise the sport he or she likes more: joining amateur soccer leagues, playing with basket team nowadays the most successful team in the region. Volley-ball and hand-ball are other sports particurarly successful in Trieste, recently it has also been opened a new grass playing-ground for the hockey team, one of the best known in Italy. Few years ago to promote baseball in our area a new diamond has been built near Prosecco on the Carso. Considering the climate in our province snow is not quite common however you can practice skiing on a plastic-grass skiing-run. An indoor swimming-pool is available for swimmers' and water polo teams, tennis clubs and a 9-hole golf course are quite popular. Along the coast inside and outside the town itself numerous rowing and sailing clubs are located.

Our town has been famous more than hundred years for its rowing teams that acquired great importance in the sporting and social life. Nowadays an outstanding event "la Barcolana" takes place each October when more than 1000 sailing-boats race in the Gulf of Trieste. In summer along the beaches we can practice all acquatic sports as water-skiing, canoeing, wind-surf and many more. It depends on your tastes and choice.

Regarding spare-time young people as everyone else can devote themselves to the widest variety of past-times: jogging on the tracks of the Carso, cycliing, climbing on the steep slopes of the rocks in Val Rosandra, exploring caves, diving and scuba-diving and of course gathering together in pubs and discos. It is also quite common to meet late in the afternoon in some ice-cream parlours where while sipping big glasses of ice-cream, you can watch people walking and gossip.

A long-standing tradition in Trieste is the so-called "ricreatorio"; it means place where you can enjoy yourself and it is referring to a kind of institution devoted to the assistance and education of children from the age of 6 up to 16. They are generally located in open space areas with garden and playgrounds surrounding a low building made of many big rooms where any past-time can be practised (indoor sports on rainy days). This organization is generally run either by the local authorities or by priests of Catholic church and it is open all afternoons. An entertainment organiser looks after boys and girls and organizes games, sports activities and also helps children to exploit their interests as playing a musical instrument, acting or developing their handicraft abilities. They also organize parties to celebrate most popular local festivals caring for the bands, tailoring their clothes, cooking candies and decorating the rooms.