Trieste endgame
By Shahid Aziz
Significant progress was made in the research conducted in Trieste during 2025 by the “Trieste research team” comprised of Claudio, Dragan, and myself as cultural mediator. The field work included interviews, site visits, participatory cartography, and more.
Over the course of the year, Claudio and Dragan conducted thirty-one semi-structured interviews with migrants who had experienced or were still experiencing informal housing in the Porto Vecchio warehouses after travelling along the Balkan Route. I interpreted and facilitated these interviews. We further conducted five walk-along interviews with individuals living rough who frequented sites of strategic interest for the research.
The Trieste research team also conducted four collective site visits and numerous individual visits to the Porto Vecchio area. These participant observation sessions enabled analysis of the complex relational and spatial dynamics within the abandoned warehouses. Interaction with the local residents was facilitated through informal convivial moments, such as sharing tea with the migrants.
We further conducted visits along the migration routes in the border region to observe the challenges faced by migrants, engage with primary witnesses and local actors, and gain a deeper understanding of the situation. Specifically, we travelled the route connecting Sezana (Slovenia) and Trebiciano (Italy) several times, also adopting archaeological methodologies. The team visited Kozina to analyse the micro-routes and abandoned makeshift camps located near the Italian-Slovenian border.
One aspect of particular scholarly importance this year was the participatory cartography of Porto Vecchio, which was carried out over the past few months with the active collaboration of migrant residents. Informal interviews were also conducted with humanitarian workers in Trieste. Another line of research involved analysing graffiti along the route, in collaboration with team member Emma Beatrica Farina.
Throughout the year I also provided essential daily support to migrants living in Trieste as a volunteer.