Friuli Venezia Giulia

Friuli Venezia Giulia is Italy's north-eastern corner, where Latin, Slavic and Germanic cultures meet. Trieste, the Habsburg port, has grand cafés, a huge square facing the sea and the white castle of Miramare.

Aquileia keeps one of the largest Roman mosaic floors in Europe, Cividale del Friuli has a Lombard temple, and Udine has Venetian squares. The lagoon of Grado, the Carso plateau and the Julian Alps complete a region made for curious travellers.

A border region

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is Italy's most north-easterly region, bordering Austria and Slovenia, and for centuries it has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures: Latin, Germanic and Slavic. Italian, Friulian, Slovene and German are all spoken here, and history has left Roman towns, Lombard villages, Venetian fortresses and Habsburg palaces. In a relatively small area you go from the Carnic and Julian Alps to the hills of the Collio, from the plain to the lagoons of Grado and Marano and down to the rocky coast of the Trieste Karst. It is a region still little known, ideal for lovers of Central European culture, good wine and nature.

Trieste, a Central European city

Trieste was for centuries the great port of the Habsburg Empire, and it retains its elegance. Piazza Unità d'Italia, one of the largest squares in Europe facing the sea, is surrounded by monumental palaces. The Borgo Teresiano, with its Grand Canal, the hill of San Giusto with its cathedral and castle, and the Roman theatre tell the story of the city's different eras. The historic cafés, such as the San Marco and the Tommaseo, frequented by writers such as James Joyce, Italo Svevo and Umberto Saba, are part of Trieste's identity. Along the coast, Miramare Castle, built for Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, overlooks the sea with its park. On the Karst, the Grotta Gigante is one of the largest show caves in the world.

Udine and historic Friuli

Udine, the heart of Friuli, has a Venetian atmosphere: Piazza della Libertà, with the Loggia del Lionello and the Loggia di San Giovanni, is considered the most beautiful Venetian square on the mainland. From the castle hill there is a view over the city and the Alps, and the Patriarchal Palace holds frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo, as does the cathedral. North-east of Udine, Cividale del Friuli, founded by Julius Caesar, has the Lombard Temple, a UNESCO site, and the Devil's Bridge over the Natisone. Nearby, Palmanova is a fortress town with a nine-pointed star plan, built by the Venetians in 1593 and also a UNESCO site.

Aquileia and Grado

Aquileia was one of the largest cities of the Roman Empire and one of the first centres of Christianity. The Patriarchal Basilica, a UNESCO site, has the largest early Christian mosaic floor in the West, with scenes from the Old Testament and sea creatures. The excavations of the forum, the river port and Roman houses complete the visit. A few kilometres south, Grado is called the island of the sun: a fishing village with an old town of narrow lanes and little squares, the basilica of Sant'Eufemia and long sandy beaches, as well as a spa. The lagoon of Grado and Marano, dotted with casoni, the old fishermen's huts, is a nature reserve to explore by boat.

The Collio and the wine country

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of Italy's great white wine regions. The Collio, on the border with Slovenia, and the Colli Orientali del Friuli are hills covered with vineyards, castles and villages, with wineries famous for Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Malvasia and skin-contact orange wines. Gorizia, a border town with Slovenian Nova Gorica, together with which it was European Capital of Culture in 2025, has a medieval castle and a Central European atmosphere. Cormons is the wine town par excellence, with wine bars and trattorias. The Karst, the limestone plateau behind Trieste, produces wines such as Vitovska and Terrano, and the osmize, farm cellars that open for just a few days a year, serve wine and home-made cured meats.

The Carnic and Julian Alps

The northern part of the region is mountain country. Carnia, with Tolmezzo, Sauris and Forni di Sopra, has villages of wooden and stone houses, ancient traditions and Sauris ham. Tarvisio, where Italy, Austria and Slovenia meet, is a ski resort and the starting point for the Fusine lakes, two Alpine lakes at the foot of Mount Mangart. Monte Lussari, with its sanctuary and village at the summit, is reached by gondola. The Friulian Dolomites Park, a UNESCO site, is one of the wildest in the Alps. Piancavallo and Sella Nevea are other ski resorts, and the Alpe Adria Cycle Route links Salzburg with Grado, crossing the region on cycle paths.

Pordenone and western Friuli

Pordenone has a historic centre with frescoed palaces along Corso Vittorio Emanuele and hosts cultural events every year, such as Pordenonelegge, the book festival, and the Silent Film Festival. Around it are villages such as Sesto al Reghena, with its Benedictine abbey, Valvasone, Poffabro, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, and Spilimbergo, the city of mosaics, with a school that trains mosaicists from all over the world. The Tagliamento, one of the last great free-flowing Alpine rivers, crosses the region with its wide gravel bed.

Lignano and the Great War

On the coast, Lignano Sabbiadoro is the region's main beach resort, with eight kilometres of golden sand, pine woods, water parks and a lively summer scene. Inland, however, the landscape still bears the marks of the First World War, fought between 1915 and 1918 along the Isonzo and in the mountains. The Redipuglia War Memorial, the largest in Italy, the Monte San Michele theme park, the trenches of the Karst and the museums of Gorizia and Caporetto, now Kobarid in Slovenia, tell one of the most dramatic chapters of the twentieth century. Many historic routes are signposted and can be followed on foot or by bike.

Food and wine

The region's cooking reflects its position on the border. San Daniele ham, sweet and delicate, and Montasio cheese are the most famous products. Frico, a cheese and potato cake, brovada, turnips fermented in grape pomace, musetto sausage, cjarsons, sweet-and-savoury ravioli from Carnia, and polenta are traditional Friulian dishes. In Trieste people eat jota, a bean and sauerkraut soup, boiled meats in the city's buffets, and desserts of Central European tradition such as gubana, presnitz and strudel. Coffee in Trieste has its own language: a nero is an espresso, a capo is a macchiato. Besides the whites of the Collio, the region produces Refosco, Schioppettino and Picolit, a precious sweet wine.

When to go and how to get around

Spring and autumn are the ideal seasons for Trieste, the art cities and the wine hills, with the harvest in September and October. Summer is perfect for the beaches of Grado and Lignano Sabbiadoro and for the mountains, winter for skiing at Tarvisio and Piancavallo. In Trieste the bora can blow, a strong cold wind that makes the city unique. Trains link Trieste, Udine, Gorizia, Pordenone and Venice, and from Trieste there are also lines to Austria and Slovenia. For the hills, Carnia and the villages a car is the best solution. Trieste airport, at Ronchi dei Legionari, is the regional airport, and Venice is just over an hour away.