Our location - Duino (Trieste)

Duino is a small historic village in the north-east of Italy, inhabitated both by Italian and Slovene-speaking people, close to Trieste and Slovenia.
This village has hosted us since 1983.
The choice of Duino as the home of the only College in Italy was not casual, any more than was the decision to avoid isolating the students in a separate campus. It was intended that they should have a full opportunity of experiencing the richness and diversity of the surrounding area. The neighbourhood of Duino is a meeting point between three historically significant cultures in Europe: the Latin, the Slav and the Germanic. Traces of the fruitful intermingling of these cultural roots are to be found in the faces of the people, in their dialects, their architect, their food, their popular traditions.

Only two kilometres distant from the College ran one of the most divisive frontiers in Europe, the border with the former Yugoslavia. This area had arleady been devastated by two world wars and was the scene of recent conflict which had led to the creation of the Republic of Slovenia after the break-up of the former Federal Republic.

Walking across the Karst, the high rocky land above the College, the students can discover even today old trenches and other remains of the First World War.
When you are here, do not miss Duino Castle (now open to the public), the Rilke National Reserve, and the Cernizza woods.

Thus the ideals of international living and cooperation which are the basis of the philosophy of the United World Colleges could not have found a better home for their realisation - ideals which the inhabitants of the Italo-Slovene village of Duino and of the surrounding area, which has historically been an area of transition and passage, know well Duino until the end of the First World War was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following those bloody battles, it passed to Italy. In the Second World War ethnic hatred cost the lives of thousands - one has only to recall the "Foibe" and the Risiera in Trieste, the only concentration camp to have been set up on Italian territory. After these tragic events, Duino remained under Allied military control until 1954. Then, until 1989, Trieste was a vital symbol throughout the Cold War. Once the splendid port of Central Europe, the capital city of Giulia was the southernmost point of the Iron Curtain which divided Europe for a half-century. The history of the area is the answer to the question: Why Duino? Here the students can understand the urgent need for peace, at the same time themselves offering tangible evidence of international understanding and tolerance.

The College from the very beginning has laid special emphasis on its relationship with Central and Eastern Europe - conscious of the strategic nature of its position, and reflecting the policies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - 35% of its students come from this area.

Finally, it is relevant to emphasise that the region is also host to a number of important international scientific institutions. Some examples are:

- The University of Trieste
- The Area Science Park (one of the principal multipurpose science parks in Europe)
- Elettra multidisciplinary Synchrotron Light Laboratory
- The International Centre for Theoretical Physics
- The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
- The Astronomical Observatory of Trieste and The Department of Astronomy of the University of Trieste
- SISSA - The International School for Advanced Studies
- Experimental Geophysical Observatory
- Marine Biology Laboratory
- I.S.D.E.E. - The Institute of Study and Documentation on the European Community and Eastern Europe

The College students are able to take advantage of the stimulus and research opportunities offered by these prestigious academic organisations.