One of Friuli's
greatest assets is what it doesn't have - many
other tourists. Just 120 kilometres from
tourist-filled Venice,
the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (the
northeastern corner of Italy,
bordering Austria and Slovenia) offers
beautiful sandy beaches, mountains for
climbing and skiing, vineyards to tour,
historical sites and attractive shopping.
The area has been influenced by its many
invaders of the past. They contributed to the
language, the cuisine and the people's
cautious natures. They’re wary yet
welcoming, as Friulian hospitality is a point
of pride among the people.
You can travel from the golden sand beaches of
Lignano
on the Adriatic coast to the snow-topped
mountains of the Carnic Alps in under two
hours. That same length of time takes you from
the border city of Gorizia
in the east to the next region of Veneto
in the west. In between are the verdant plains
and gentle slopes that produce some of the
finest wines of Italy.
Friuli’s many towns and small cities each
offer their own history, style and specialty.
Tourists might want to base themselves in Udine,
capital of its province.
Its “old town” today is a smart shopping
area with the city's best stores and bookshops
and sidewalk cafes. Its tradition is to enjoy
a cappuccino in the afternoon here, but in
Friuli, as in all Italy, stopping in un caffé
or bar is very much a way of life, throughout
the day. They may be big or small, but most
are handsomely decorated and welcoming, in
that “there are a lot of people, but still
room for me” feeling.
Udine's centre is its castle, estimated to be
just over 1,000 years old. It sits in Piazza
Libertá, the square surrounded by many
historic buildings, including the Church of
Santa Maria, the oldest in the city. This
square leads on to the fashionable piazza of
San Giacomo, with its outdoor café, daily
fruit and vegetable market and church of San
Giacomo.
From Udine as a base, you can take day trips
and visit one or two smaller cities or towns a
day. and snowy tops. Cividale
is a great place to begin. Just 17km to the
east of Udine, it's situated with a clear view
of the Carnic Alps, with their gentle slopes
and snowy tops. Cividale was the region's link
to the Roman Republic. Its former name was
Forum Julii after Julius Caesar, whose statue
graces the main square, in front of the
beautiful church of Santa Maria Assunta. Also
on the square is Cividale’s archaeological
museum, with items of pottery, armaments and
jewellery that date back to 586 BC. Cividale’s
ponte dal diavolo, (the devil's bridge) is an
oft-photographed point for the gracious
structure of the bridge, the winding Natisone
River running beneath it, and the historic
church and buildings (now apartments) that
line its banks.
About 20km southeast of Udine is the
nine-pointed walled city of Palmanova.
Built in Venetian style in 1593, it has a
large square in its centre, with streets
radiating out to the still intact walls. Today
tourists sit in outdoor cafés in the square
and shop in the elegant boutiques that line
the streets.
Roman ruins can be found in Aquileia,
37km south of Udine. It was founded by the
Romans in 181 BC, taking over as the main link
to the Republic from Cividale. Columns remain
of the forum, the circus and basilica; walking
around the town one can see evidence of the
baths, monastery and city gates. A key site is
the Church of San Giusto, for its fabulous
floor mosaics.
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