palazzo Polifemo (1882)
piazza Garibadi

In Piazza Garibaldi, formerly Piazza della Stranga, Piazza Marina, Piazza Elisabetta stands an important building surmounted by a frieze in the center of which a large empty circle is placed. Beyond the building, which will be discussed further on, it seems interesting to discover the origin of the many names attributed, over time, to the square.
The term Stranga comes from a barrier, in German "Schranke", because nearby there was a fixed customs post and consequently a stanga or barrier that marked the customs border; "Marina" because on the same area there was a Navy rifle barracks; "Elisabetta" in honor of the sweet "Sissi" for her first visit to the city.
The "hole" building was built in 1882 with the capital of the Union Bank in Vienna. It should have initially hosted the Supreme Command of the Navy and later the headquarters of the same bank but nothing was done pending decisions "from above".
It therefore happened that, after internal modification, it was transformed into a residential house.
The indecision regarding its use has remained "visible" in that incomplete sculpture on the roof that adorns the main facade. In the large central stone circle, a magnificent clock was never placed.
The Triestines, with the usual prankster spirit, baptized the building with the nickname "Palazzo Polifemo", given the large "front orbit" completely empty.