The history of the Hotel "Duchi " (the Dukes) dates back to 300 D. C., when its ancestor, the Hospitium Magnum, was erected on the sea front to provide hospitality to merchants who were flocking to the port of Trieste to stock up on goods, and for the sailors who stayed there while  their ships weere moored nearby. Between 1727 and 1732, the "Osteria Grande" was built on the grounds of the "Hospitium Magnum ". Later, it was expanded, redecorated and renamed "Locanda Grande ". Later it was demolished in 1847.

In 1873, the Fund-owners, Assicurazioni Generali, charged the engineer Eugenio Geiringer with the rebuilding of what became the "Hotel Garni ". At the beginning of the twentieth Century, the Hotel was renamed into Hotel Vanoli and, in 1912, it experienced the introduction of electric current. In 1972 the hotel was given its current name of Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta.
Throughout the Centuries, many eminent figures have found a warm welcome at this place: the Infanta of Spain Maria, wife of Ferdinand I, Federico Gonzaga the Duke of Mantua, Admiral Horatio Nelson, Giacomo Casanova, Carlo Goldoni,  to name but a few.

On 8 June 1768, a horrible blood crime was committed: the archaeologist Johann Winckelmann, who discovered Ercolano and Pompei, was stabbed to death by his lover. At that time, there was a great fuss about the trial of a crowned head that allegedly had an affair with a servant, during her frequent visits to Trieste. The manager of the Locanda Grande was the main witness to give evidence on her behalf and, even though the rumour was never disproved, the Queen was acquitted.

Our more recent guests have included Francis Ford Coppola, Ray Charles, Antony Hopkins, Sting, Brian Adans, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Noor, Queen of Jordan….