Nobody knew her real name. Yet everyone in Trieste knew La Muta. She became a symbol of a city in transition. Today, a bar in Cavana keeps her memory alive by carrying her nickname.
After the German occupation and into the 1950s, Cavana became known for its brothels. Among the most famous were La Bersagliera, La Zingara, and La Muta
La Muta played a leading role in that historic period. She even became central to the Merlin Law, which closed brothels and transformed prostitution in the city.
La Muta’s Story
She was thin, tall, and brown-haired. Locals over sixty, who may have known her, describe her as “the most beautiful prostitute in Trieste.” She was in her twenties and raising a son when she began her profession.
La Muta wasn’t Triestina, but came from Cagliari. She was born and raised in a poor family. One theory says that at eighteen, she married a sailor and moved to Trieste. Soon after, the sailor disappeared, leaving her pregnant and without support. She never knew if her husband had died or run away. But she stood completely alone.
As a deaf woman with only a basic knowledge of Italian, and even less of the Triestinian dialect, she couldn’t find a job. With a baby to feed and raise, she had to earn money somehow. The easiest option was the oldest profession in the world. It was a job that didn’t require speech or skills.
Her Fame
La Muta became famous because she stood out. She was deaf, mute, and stunning. People recognized her instantly. And once they met her, they never forgot her.
When American soldiers arrived as allies in Trieste, she quickly became one of the favorites.
After the Merlin Law, brothels closed. Still, La Muta kept working in her house on Via del Fortino. Some say she received clients like a doctor, with appointments and a waiting lounge. Others arrived at her door to get “initiated” into manhood.
La Muta worked as a true professional and gave her loyal clients the best service. She even offered discounts to her favorite clients, the Americans. She placed a blanket at the foot of her bed so her soldiers didn’t need to remove their heavy boots when they were in a hurry.
American Trieste
The arrival of Americans completely changed Trieste’s lifestyle. Rock and roll, hot dogs, and soda filled the city. Trieste became the first Italian city to experience the American dream.
Or should we say Americans were living the Italian dream? Salary in dollars, expenses in liras.
Bars, hotels, and restaurants adapted to serve their new clients: the Americans. Cinemas screened Hollywood movies in their original language, English, with Italian subtitles. Young women loved to dance with the soldiers. More than 3,000 Triestine girls married and moved to the USA with their military husbands.
Trieste faced an uncertain future. The city stood in the middle of two worlds. While Americans protected it from Yugoslavia, it wasn’t officially Italian. Their presence paused decisions and gave the city time. Meanwhile, Triestini tried to live normally. Americans gave cigarettes and chocolate to their new friends. Children and women adored them.
Her Final Years
La Muta died in 2014 at 90 years old. In her last years, people often saw her in bars, drinking coffee with her caregiver. When she wasn’t in a bar, she walked through the city.
She once rode horses through Trieste’s main squares with elegance. Later, people forgot her so much that some believed she wasn’t real, but only a legend.
Her life mirrored Cavana’s transformation. Once a red light district, it is now one of the city’s most chic nightlife zones. Over time, Triestini forgot the “off-limits” signs that marked the houses where men could buy company and love. Today, Cavana offers a different nightlife: parties, young people, and bars like Cemut, which has no empty tables in summer.
The Legend Lives On
La Muta is now a bar in the Cavana neighborhood. Its atmosphere recalls the 1950s and 1960s. It opened just a couple of years ago, across from the street where La Muta once worked and strolled to meet clients.
The bar tells her story, and the story of American Trieste. A time that shaped the lives of many Triestini.
