Trieste and Friuli (with Aquileia, Grado, Lignano, Gorizia, Cividale, Udine, Pordenone, Tarvisio)

If you are planning to tour Europe, you should consider the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, bordering on Austria and Slovenia. This lovely region may be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food and other specialties. While Friuli is by no means undiscovered by tourists you usually wonÕt be fighting crowds to see what you want. Like most regions of Italy, it has belonged to many nations over the years. Trieste, with a population of about two hundred thousand, is the regionÕs largest city. Trieste was definitely part and parcel of Mittleleuropa (Central Europe) as the major port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Trieste only joined Italy in 1954. One can easily imagine that with such a unique history Trieste is quite a unique place to visit. It is. This is a guide to a trip in the Friuli region of Italy: passing through Grado, Lignano, Aquileia, Trieste, Pordenone, Udine, and touching the mountains of Friuli, the Carnia, Tarvisio and Sequals.