#TriesteOpicina

The Trieste–Opicina hill climb was a road race held between the city of Trieste and the plateau town of Opicina, near the Slovenian border. First run in 1911, it was one of Italy’s earliest uphill competitions and became a recurring event, with interruptions during wartime and occasional changes to the course layout. The route, approximately 8.5 km long in its final configuration, climbed from sea level up to the Carso plateau, with a mix of fast straights, hairpin bends, and elevation changes that tested both engine performance and chassis setup. Over the decades, the event featured a wide variety of vehicles: cyclecars and light racing specials in the early years, followed by sports cars, touring cars, and single-seaters in the postwar period. By the 1960s, it had become a round of the Italian Hill Climb Championship (Campionato Italiano della Montagna), drawing professional drivers and works teams. The race was notable for its technical demands rather than outright speed, favoring vehicles with strong torque and good weight distribution. The changing road surfaces and unpredictable weather—due to the proximity of the sea and the elevation—added further complexity. Safety barriers were minimal, and as car speeds increased, the inherent risks became more difficult to manage. The final competitive edition took place in 1971. After that, growing concerns over safety, along with increasing urban traffic and road infrastructure changes, made it unfeasible to continue. In later years, the name Trieste–Opicina has been revived for historic demonstrations, but the original competition has not returned.

We'll tell the story of this event on the occasion of its anniversary or when it will reach a sufficient number of cars.

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