The law does not require Trieste to have bilingual signs. "Could we do it some day? Perhaps...I think that in the spirit of reciprocity there might be bilingual signs in Trieste one day," he said.

Asked about Trieste's evolving attitude to Slovenia and Slovenians, Cosolini said "a significant step in the right direction has been made in cooperation, understanding and common integration," a result of efforts by both sides.

"Physical borders collapsed a few years ago, but that was just the last and most visible act in a process that has healed the wounds of the past. Everything happened very naturally and spontaneously."

But although a large part of Trieste has moved on, "there are still old historically marked conservative and nationalist positions...There are still extremes on the right as well as on the left, but it needs to be clear that it is waning."