Information on Friuli Venezia Giulia - Italy

Gorizia Pordenone Trieste Udine

This region features beautiful Adriatic beaches, stunning mountain views, and vineyards. Largely undiscovered by tourists, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia shares borders with Austria and Yugoslavia.

The fusion between the Po Valley and the Alps form the foundation of the region's cuisine yet Austrian, Yugoslavian, and Oriental influences are easy to spot. Corn is the principal crop, followed by beans, and fruits and vegetables, including white turnips, asparagus, and the pleasantly bitter dwarf chicory. Dumplings (gnocchi) are one of the region's specialties and may be made of potatoes, squash, or stale bread. Pork is the poor man's meat of choice, but Friulians also catch all kinds of seafood off the Adriatic.

The region's recipes adorn spices, sweet and sour sauces, and smoking techniques. Smoked prosciutto is found throughout the area, as is smoked ricotta and smoked trout--all of which are rare or nonexistent in other parts of Italy. Most of the region's desserts, including baked orange custard and the strudel, reflect its foreign influence.

Although the region accounts for a tiny percent of Italy's wine production, some of the county's best wine is found here. Friuli produces a refined Cabernet, a fruity Merlot, and the hearty Refosco, as well as dry and fruity whites Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Renano, Sauvignon, and Tocai.  

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Gorizia
Pordenone
	Pordenone The name comes from the latin "Portus Naonis" meaning the port on the river Noncello (Latin Naon). For many centuries it was a Germanic area in the Friuli territory. In 1968 Pordenone became capital of the newly established province with the same name, including territory previously belonging to the province of Udine. Population: about inhabitants -- Zip/postal code: 83 -- Phone Area Code: 0824 Pordenone was founded in the High Middle Ages but there were already villas and agricultural settlements in the Roman age. In 1378 the city passed to the Habsburg family, forming an Austrian enclave within the territory of Patriarchate of Aquileia. In the 14th century Pordenone grew substantially due to the flourishing river trades. In 1514 it was acquired by the Republic of Venice, under which a new port was built and the manifactures improved. After 1815 Pordenone was included in the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The railway connection and the construction of the Pontebbana road implied the decline of the port, but spurred a substantial industrial development (especially for the working of cotton). Pordenone was annexed to Italy in 1866. The cotton sector, however, decayed after the destructions of World War I and the 1929 crisis, to never recover at all. What to taste: • You will generally see broths, vegetable soups and risottos, and there are also the dumplings and "panada" (stale bread soup). Specialities: cold cuts such as pitina and local cheese like Montasio or Asin (malga cheese with soft and creamy spread). As far as main courses, there is mostly meat: boiled or stewed meat and, especially, game (wild boar, pheasant, hare). The typical main course is the muset, pork meat, with a side of brovada, turnips marinated in vinegar. It is also possible to taste the typical omelette with salami, the frico (fried cheese) and the pastissada (corn meal with cheese, butter and meat sauce). • The common desserts are corn flour cookies, Pinza (sweet pizza) and Dolce di Spilimbergo (dessert made with almonds) are really common. • The local wines consist of white wines (Tocai, Pinot, Verduzzo) and red wines (Cabernet, Refosco).   Cities & Towns: Coming soon What to do: • If you like to walk and enjoy nature there are mountains, hills and flatlands. • From Cimolais to Claut or Piancavallo: the snowcapped peaks of the Dolomites with their modern ski slopes are the perfect setting to go skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and also trekking or free climbing. • The numerous rivers and waterways are a source of fun and amusement. One can go canoeing - there are many levels - and fishing. • The presence of valleys and hills offer perfect routes for cycling and mountain biking and also pathways which lead to wonderful landscapes. The variety of landscapes and areas is perfect to practice many activities and tours in contact with nature, going from mountains to hills or flat lands.  Places to visit: Churches, Museums, Ruins, Piazzas, Fountains, • The Corso Vittorio Emanuele, also called Contrada Maggiore, which was the main street of the aucient Pordenone. • The Museo Civico, in the Ricchieri Palace, with an art collection of theRenaissance and Baroque time. • The Palazzo del comune, built in the 14th century. • The cathedral, in the Romanesque-Gothic style. • Noncello • Piazza della Motta • Santa Maria degli Angeli • The Museo delle scienze, in the Amalteo Palace, with collections of paleontology, minerology and zoology. • Corso Garibaldi Events: • There are many traditional feasts, a distinguished one is the "sagra dei osei" in Sacile, the first Sunday after the mid-August holiday. During this feast, there is the sale of birds, rewards for the best specimen exposed, and the cocchiolo contest, that is a melody that imitates the call of flying animals. • As far as religious events, the traditional falò epifanici (bonfires) and the Veindre Seint are significant. The Veindre Seint is an evocative costume performance of the Passion of Christ that takes place in Erto and Casso on Good Friday. • The Festa di San Marco and Fortejada is a characteristic event in Pordenone: during the Patronal feast it is possible to taste the fortaja, an omelette with many ingredients, in the city park of San Valentino. • Another distinctive event is the historical evocation of the Napoleonic battle of Camolli, which takes place in Porcìa (in April), and also the historical evocation of Macia, in the wonderful scenery of Spilimbergo, retrieving the atmosphere of the city in the16th century. Tours avaiable in the region: Accomodations in close proximity: Hotels, Restorts, Holiday Houses, Condo Rentals, Farm Holidays (Agritourismo), Flights - Car Rentals - Cruises: Restaurants in close proximity: • (Add a restaurant review in the italian blog area of our website). back to top
Trieste
	Trieste The Province of Trieste occupies a very narrow strip of land 30 km long, comprised between the Adriatic and the Carso plateau, bordering Slovenia to the east. The Free Territory of Trieste was established as a free state on September 15, 1947 then in 1954 Italy and Yugoslavia agreed that the territory de facto was divided between the two states: Zone A of the free state became the Province of Trieste and Zone B was to be administered by Yugoslavia. The Province of Trieste formally became a part of Italy on October 11, 1977 by the Treaty of Osimo. Info: Area: 212 km² -- Population: about 240,000 inhabitants -- Zip/postal codes: 34121-34151, 34010-34018 -- Phone Area Codes: 040 -- Car Plate: TS -- Communes: 6 communes -- The small province of Trieste includes just six communes and is at the border with Slovenia. The city of Trieste is a real jewel for lovers of history, culture and art, at the crossroads of the Italian Austrian and Slav cultures, a city of literary cafes of the Mitteleuropa period and museums. In the surroundings there are fine itineraries as the grottos, a whole mysterious world waiting to amaze visitors with their spectacular, breathtaking majesty, as the Grotta Gigante; the wine roads, with the quality grapes of the Carso plateau, and the Marine Sanctuary of Miramare, with its precious biodiversity, a great destination for scuba divers. Official web site Trieste  What to taste: • The food in this area is rich and varied, due to Austrian, Venetian and Friulian influences. You will find jota, a soup made with white cabbage, beans, pork and potatoes; the zuf, a polenta dish; many kinds of risotto; gnochi de pan (bread dumplings) and gnochi de susini (prune dumplings). • As far as seafood and shellfish the granseola alla Triestina (with spider-crabs) is really famous. • The karstic inland food is characterized by stronger flavours: cheese, sausages with sauerkraut and pork shank, ham baked in the oven. •Desserts include, mostly deriving from Austrian and Slovenian tradition, presnitz, a pastry filled with dried fruits, strucolo, apple strudel, the pinza (sweet pizza) and gubana (Easter bread). •The local wines are Terrano, Malvasia and Refosco  Cities & Towns: Coming soon What to do: • Breathtaking landscapes abound in Trieste offering a wide variety of excursions in the area. • The Karstic plateau is perfect for many activities: trekking and mountain biking or extreme sports like free climbing in Val Rosandra or on the cliffs of Karst. Speleology lovers can explore many caverns and Karstic caves. Rivers and waterways are perfect for rafting, going on a kayak and canoeing. In the area there are many centers to practice golf and to go riding. Along the coast it is possible to practice any aquatic sport and sailing. The rocky coast and the clearness of depths are perfect for diving, exploring the wide variety of underwater flora and fauna. Places to visit: Churches, Museums, Ruins, Piazzas, Fountains, • Trieste, a charming city on the sea, surrounded by the impressive Karstic plateau. The old city centre has a rich historic and artistic repertoire like the Arco Riccardo (arch), the Roman Theatre, the Cathedral of San Giusto (14th century) with mosaic decorations and San Giusto Castle. Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia (square) is extremely charming with its austrian imprint. It is surrounded by neoclassical buildings, with one side of the square facing the sea. Trieste is a really suggestive city, thanks to its monuments of different periods, old coffee shops where literature fans and writers would meet, the harbour and the impressive examples of Art Nouveau architecture. • The Faro della Vittoria is unmissable: it is an impressive lighthouse on the Gretta hill, a modern monument made with the white rock of Orsera, dedicated to the fallen during the First World War. A unique panoramic route is offered by the old Tram of Opicina, that connects the centre of Trieste to Villa Opicina, climbing the Karstic plateau along impressive ramps with a wide view on the gulf and the city. • Along the coast one can admire three old castles, located in amazing panoramic positions: the Duino Castle, surrounded by a big park with terraces and walkways; the wonderful Miramare Castle - made with the white rock of Istria - overhanging the sea, near Trieste and the Muggia Castle, in the picturesque small town of Muggia located in the Italian part of Istria, facing the sea. Muggia is a source of surprises for its visitors: the city centre has a Venetian influence with calli (narrow streets) and campielli (small squares), a majestic cathedral and wonderful buildings. • Also there's Baia Sistiana - considered one of the best beaches of the area - and Duino - with rocks overhanging the sea - charming destinations for beach holidays. • As far as naturalistic attractions, the Grotta Gigante is well worth a visit. It is considered the biggest hypogean karstic cave, with many stalactites formed with the steady trickle of the water • A route in the karstic inland will lead to characteristic small towns like Monrupino - with its fascinating fortress - and Rupingrande, with its characteristic Casa Carsica, a kind of ethnographic museum with costumes, tools and country pieces of furniture. Prosecco, Samatorza, San Dorligo della Valle: these are just some of the small villages in the Karstic plateau, with their characteristic stone houses and their "osmize", cosy small restaurants to taste local wines and specialities.   Events: • This area has a schedule rich in folkloric events from different traditions. There is the Carnival of Muggia with floats and people in costumes and the Cerimonia delle Nozze Carsiche - a historic performance of a Slovenian ritual (it takes place in Monrupino every two years, the last Sunday of August).   • In Trieste there are many events during the whole year: The Festival dell'Operetta (between July and August) with many international musicians, the Latin-American Film Festival (in October) and the Trieste Film Festival, dedicated to Central and Eastern Films (in January). • Also the sport events are really important: the Barcolana or Regata d'autunno is an historic boat race (the second Sunday of October) in the Gulf of Trieste and the Bavisela or Maratona d'Europa (marathon) that takes place in Trieste the first Sunday of May. Tours avaiable in the region: Accomodations in close proximity: Hotels, Restorts, Holiday Houses, Condo Rentals, Farm Holidays (Agritourismo), Flights - Car Rentals - Cruises: Restaurants in close proximity: • In almost every small town it is possible to taste local wines and there are feasts with typical products. • (Add a restaurant review in the italian blog area of our website). back to top
Udine
	Udine The Province of Udine is the largest province in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, with a territory that offers a great variety of landscapes: sandy dunes along the lagoon, fertile fields in the hilly areas, rugged, steep alpine summits with the Dolomites at Forni and Pesarine, up to Mount Coglians (2780 m a.s.l.). The Alpine chians blocking the warm air currents rising from the Adriatic explains the rainfal, which is the highest in Italy. Info: Area: 4,905 km² - Population: about 530,000 inhabitants - Zip/postal codes: 0432, 0427, 0428, 0431, 0433 - Phone Area Codes:33010- 33100 - Car Plate: UD - Communes: 137 communes. This province includes wine producing areas that offer a great variety of DOC wines, important monumnets in the city of Udine or unique villas as the Venetian Villa Manin, natural reserves as the Riserva Naturale della Foce dell'Isonzo, a unique theme park at Campoformido, the Parco del Volo, with cultural and sports activities connected to flying, a very special Golf Club surrounded by the astounding amphitheater of the alpine summits at Tarvisio, as well as one of the most enchanting pearls among the Adriatic seaside resorts, Lignano Sabbiadoro, with miles and miles of sandy beaches and pinewoods. If you are planning a holiday in this area, you can select a hotel, B&B or agritourism choosing category and place in the localities listed below. Official web site Udine  What to taste: • The main ingredients in the Udine region are the products of the land, above all rice, beans and vegetables. • Fish broth is also common due to the lowland and lagoon area. • In the inland and in the north of the province meat and stronger flavours predominate, widespread are potatoes and bean soups and "bisna", a form of polenta with beans and sauerkrauts. Besides the rice dishes, the typical dishes of the area are the "cjalzons", ravioli stuffed with cheese, eggs and vegetables; "frico", fried Montasio cheese; omelettes with herbs and cooked salami with polenta. Specialities of the hilly area of Forgarese: stewed wild boar with cornmeal, stewed roe and tagliatelle with hare ragù. San Daniele and Sauri ham are internationally renowned specialities. • The dessert seldom seen is the "gubana", a millefeuille with walnuts, liqueur and spices, typical of the Natisone Valleys. • Local wines include Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and the rare Picolit.   Cities & Towns: Coming soon What to do: • A nature lovers dream come true with beaches, mountains, hills and spas. • In the coastal area it is possible to practice aquatic and nautical sports; the valley and the hills are rich in trekking, riding and biking routes. One may hike around special areas like the lagoon of Marano, an ideal place to watch many kind of birds in any season. Forni di Sopra, Ravascletto, the Tarvisiano area and Sella Nevea: the mountains in the province of Udine are an ideal destination for trips in uncontaminated environments, walking with snowshoes, climbing on frozen falls and, especially, skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing, thanks to a dense network of ski slopes right up to the borders with Austria and Slovenia. • On the green hills close to the Alps - on the Lignano Sabbiadoro coast - there are many golf courses providing a chance to combine sport, amusement and relaxation. One can opt for health treatments at the Spas of the Lignano Sabbiadoro thermal baths, which combine the precious qualities of sea water with that coming from below the ground. • There are also other thermal resorts like the Arta baths in Carnia, renowned since the Roman period. The area offers a schedule full of events like the epiphanic bonfires ("pignauri") of a Celtic origin, that representing the local tradition auspicious of good omens for the new year. Places to visit: Churches, Museums, Ruins, Piazzas, Fountains, • Udine, considered the city of Tiepolo (18th century) since it preserves many masterpieces by him and by his son Giandomenico, like the frescoes that decorate the Cathedral, Palazzo Arcivescovile and the Oratorio della Purità. With its squares and charming loggias, the ancient centre holds many elegant buildings with a Gothic-Venetian style, like Palazzo Comunale or Loggia del Lionello, evidence of its secular connection with the Serenissima. The majestic and sumptuous Castle situated on top of a hill is particularly remarkable. It is the site of the Civic Museums that comprises many sections: the Archaeologic museum, the Gallery of drawings and printings, the Museum of Photography, the Photographic archive and the Ancient Art Gallery, with precious paintings from the 16th-19th centuries. • Lignano Sabbiadoro is the perfect tourist destination: kilometres of beach, clean and calm sea, ideal for a holiday where tourists can practice sports, have fun and relax. Aquileia is an important destination for culture seekers: it was one of the main cities of the Roman empire and then an important centre for the clergy. • The archaeological site and its Museum render the magnificence of the Roman period, while the structure of the Patriarchal Cathedral and the wonderful mosaics of the Museo Paleocristiano provide historical evidence and examples of early Christian art. Palmanova is another site of remarkable historic relevance. Events: • In Cividale del Friuli the Messa dello Spadone is instead celebrated on the sixth of January. • As for religious events, there is the Palio di San Donato in Cividale del Friuli, a costume parade held in August; there is also a remarkable folkloric event, the annual historical evocation of Palmanova, held in July. • Many feasts celebrate local specialties like wine festivals and events held to celebrate the famous ham in San Daniele and Sauris.   Tours avaiable in the region: Accomodations in close proximity: Hotels, Restorts, Holiday Houses, Condo Rentals, Farm Holidays (Agritourismo), Flights - Car Rentals - Cruises: Restaurants in close proximity: • (Add a restaurant review in the italian blog area of our website). back to top

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