Trieste's magnificent main square is without question the most famous sight in the city centre, a hub of social activity and the source of immeasurable pride for locals. Said to be the largest sea-facing square in all of Europe at some 12,280m2, the space has undergone numerous changes over its more than 700 years of existence. Originally known as St Peter's Square, for much of its history it was referred to simply as Piazza Grande (which nowadays is still used colloquially, along with the Slovene equivalent Veliki trg), before changing to Piazza Unità after the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy following WWI, and only settling on its more verbose current form in 1955 when the Free Territory of Trieste formally reverted to Italian control. Semantics aside, the square is fronted by some of the city's most impressive and important buildings, as well as several large monuments, a couple of historical cafés and innumerable architectural details that are sure to provide camera-happy visitors with plenty to snap away at.