{"id":924,"date":"2025-08-17T20:55:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T12:55:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/seven-reasons-to-visit-friuli-venezia-giulia-italys-intriguing-borderland\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:02","slug":"seven-reasons-to-visit-friuli-venezia-giulia-italys-intriguing-borderland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=924","title":{"rendered":"Seven reasons to visit Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy’s intriguing borderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Writers Hemingway, Rilke and Joyce all found inspiration in the tiny, triple-barrelled Friuli Venezia Giulia region, tucked away in the far northeast of Italy.<\/p>\n

Today, despite being just a couple of hours from Venice, FVG is one of Italy\u2019s least touristed regions, but those in the know are heading here for cultured cities, deliciously wild landscapes and the fascinating Slovenian-Croatian-Austrian-Italian cultural mash up.<\/p>\n

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\"Lake
Lake Sauris in the Carnic Alps. Image by DeAgostini \/ Getty Images.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Habsburg cafe culture in Trieste<\/h3>\n

The former free port of Trieste blossomed in the 18th and 19th centuries under the Habsburgs, becoming a vibrant and fluid border zone whose grand cafes were filled with Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, Yiddish, German and Greek chatter. Today its cosmopolitan spirit, elegant architecture and penchant for pork knuckle and sauerkraut still reflects this not-so-distant Austrian past.<\/p>\n

Wander the grand avenues and drink a hometown Illy espresso in the grand Mittel-European cafes where James Joyce finished Dubliners<\/em> and began Ulysses<\/em>, such as Caff\u00e8 San Marco. Swim in 19th-century gender-segregated sea baths and breathe in the city\u2019s melancholy coastal beauty from Europe\u2019s largest sea-facing square, Piazza dell’Unit\u00e0 d’Italia.<\/p>\n

Roman ruins at Aquileia<\/h3>\n

Much of the 2nd-century AD Roman megacity of Aquileia lies unexcavated beneath the fields of the eponymous small Friulian town, but there\u2019s still plenty to see above ground. The highlight is an exquisite 4th-century mosaic floor preserved in a 12th-century Gothic basilica which, at 760 square metres, is one of the largest Roman mosaics in the world. Glass walkways allow you to admire the astonishingly vivid depictions of episodes from the Bible, lagoon sealife and wealthy patrons.<\/p>\n

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Roman mosaic showing lagoon sea creatures in Aquileia’s basilica. Image by DEA \/ A. Dagli Oorti \/ De Agostini \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can also stroll the former banks of Porto Fluviale, the old port, which once linked the settlement to the sea, and explore the partially restored remains of houses, roads and the columns of the city\u2019s forum. The old-school Museo Archeologico Nazionale is stuffed to the rafters with northern-Italy\u2019s best collection of Roman artefacts.<\/p>\n

Wine tasting at the source<\/h3>\n

Friuli\u2019s Friulano, Ribolla Gialla and Malvasia are the darlings of smart wine lists the world over, but the experience of drinking the region\u2019s wonderful whites and cultish orange wines on their home soil is an altogether more laid back affair.<\/p>\n

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Vineyard landscape in the Collio region. Image by Bosca78 \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Collio Goriziano, Colli Orientale and Carso DOCs (certified growing regions) are less than an hour\u2019s drive apart, but offer an incredible variety of landscapes and winemaking styles. Cellar door dining is equally diverse: opt for vertical tastings and fine dining at Bastianich\u2019s Orsone or the genteel rusticity of Valter Scarbolo\u2019s La Frasca.<\/p>\n

Up in the Carso, the rocky, hilly strip between the Gulf of Trieste and Slovenia, the tradition of osmize <\/em>(pop-up tastings at vineyards), still prevails. Follow the trail of tree branches tacked to arrowed signposts at country crossroads and you\u2019ll soon be sampling the latest vintages of the powerful and addictive local white Vitovska by the jug, with platters of local cured meats and cheeses to keep you tidy.<\/p>\n

Coastal paths and mountain passes<\/h3>\n

Whether you\u2019re up for gentle, poetic strolls or hardcore vertical ascents, this region offers fabulously diverse landscapes to explore. In the Carnic Alps, stroll wildflower-dotted fields between Sauris di Sopra and Sauris di Sotto, or embark on a high-altitude trek through woodlands and upland meadows to see the Dolomites from the Sella di Razzo pass.<\/p>\n

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The cliffs of Duino Regional Nature Reserve. Image by DeAgostini \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Down on the Duino coastline, the path that inspired poet Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s Duino Elegies<\/em> is now an easy but extremely beautiful 1.7km trail from the Castello di Duino to the town of Sistiana. The holly oak and hornbeam lined path takes you along a limestone cliff tumbling towards the sea.<\/p>\n

A feast of ham and cheese<\/h3>\n

Friuli\u2019s is a cuisine that not only tells the story of the land and the seasons, but also hundreds of years of shifting borders and cultural exchange. Over in western cities Pordenone and Sacile, and in seaside Grado, seafood dishes have a Venetian grace and lightness. Up north, Germanic elements are strong and to the east, Austrian traditions \u2013 say hearty pork, bean and cabbage soups \u2013 and bold Slavic elements \u2013 ravioli stuffed with beetroot and mountain herbs and boozy nut-filled putizza<\/em> cakes \u2013 dominate.<\/p>\n

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Slicing San Daniele prosciutto. Image by Jean Marc Charles \/ Gamma-Rapho \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ubiquitous local Montasio cheese is combined with shredded potato to make frico<\/em>, served either as a crispy fried snack or as a soft, potato pancake dish, but prosciutto is the region\u2019s most famous export. San Daniele\u2019s nutty hams have found worldwide fame, and inspired an annual festival, the Aria di Festa, while sweet, unctuous d’Osvaldo from the Collio region attracts its own select but growing number of devotees.<\/p>\n

Spritz-o-clock in Udine<\/h3>\n

Losing its regional-capital status to Trieste in the 1950s may have been something of a blow for Udine but this confident, compact city remains Friuli\u2019s cultural capital today. You may be lured here to see the Tiepolo frescoes (the Oratorio della Purit\u00e0 chapel\u2019s single ceiling featuring a beautiful depiction of the Assumption is worth a visit on its own) but you\u2019ll make repeat visits for the city\u2019s ever convivial wine bars.<\/p>\n

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Part of Tiepolo’s Assumption fresco in Udine’s Oratorio della Purit\u00e0. Image by DeAgostini \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spritz-o-clock seems to start earlier here than anywhere else in Italy, with the festive Veneziana<\/em> \u2013 Aperol and prosecco \u2013 drunk at terrace tables from 11am. Aperitivo here is a cheap and particularly cheerful affair with a spritz<\/em> averaging \u20ac2 and toast topped with prosciutto, cheese or smoked fish for \u20ac1 or so a pop.<\/p>\n

Deep snow and uncrowded skiing<\/h3>\n

With popular Dolomites ski resorts just over the border in Veneto and S\u00fcdtirol, it\u2019s no wonder that Friuli\u2019s own Dolomites and Julian Alps are often overlooked as a ski destination.<\/p>\n

\"Wintery
Wintery scenes in the Forest of Tarvisio. Image by DeAgostini \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the vertical walls, high peaks and deep valleys of Forni di Sopra and the wooded valleys, rustic mountain huts and deep, deep snow (sometimes until May) of Tarvisio and Sella Nevea make for a for an utterly unspoilt and starkly beautiful place to ski, snowboard, cross-country, snow-shoe or dog sled. The resorts\u2019 proximity to the Austrian border means you can also sample the slopes of two countries in one trip.<\/p>\n

Getting to Friuli Venezia Giulia<\/h3>\n

Friuli Venezia Giulia airport is 33km northwest of Trieste, with daily flights from Rome, London and Munich. Venice\u2019s Marco Polo and Treviso airports are within easy reach of the region and have flights to many more destinations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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