distinctive onion turrets is particularly eye-catching. This villa, the Casa Jakic, dates from 1896 and initially belonged to a Russian Orthodox priest who was said to be a tsarist spy and was later used as an arcade and brothel. Until 1969, Barcola was connected to the center by tram line 6. There are always initiatives in Trieste and especially to Barcola to run a tram again. The beach, the promenade and the pine forest of Barcola, all classic resorts of Trieste, are particularly busy in summer. The scholar Claudio Magris bathed here as a child with his mother. The extensive redesign of the waterfront with the paving made of porphyry stones and sandstone slabs took place in the years 2000 to 2001. The ten popular semicircular building blocks on the shore, consisting of a viewing platform, sanitary facilities and changing rooms, are popularly known as Topolini (plural of the Walt Disney character "Mickey Mouse"- because of the characteristic shape from above). There is a wide range of restaurants and extensive parking spaces. The bronze sculpture Mula di Trieste ("The Girl from Trieste") by Nino Spagnoli has stood in the small marina of Barcola since 2005 and is supposed to symbolize the Trieste youth, colloquially referred to as mula. In the pine forest of Barcola there is the bronze sculpture la Nuotatrice, especially known as la Sirenetta ("The Little Mermaid") by the sculptor Ugo Cara as an homage to the Trieste swimmers. In 2020 there are plans to solve the traffic and parking problems in the summer through structural measures and the creation of an original beach, corresponding to the time before the road was built in the 19th century. Barcola is a well-known windsurfing and kite spot because of the offshore bora. The experiences and stories of the local captains, skippers and fishermen from Trieste and Barcola (with their stories in local bars such as Skipper Point) are recorded by the author Paolo Rumiz in his book Il Ciclope. Since 2001 there has been a weather station of the Italian Air Force in Barcola. Barcolana regatta It is best known for the Barcolana regatta, a European sailing race that happens every year in October. The Barcolana was founded in 1969 thanks to the initiative of the yacht club Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. It is one of the most crowded regattas in the world. The Barcolana became the Guinness