Friuli Venezia Giulia is Italy's north-eastern corner, wedged between the Alps, the Adriatic, Slovenia, and Austria. It is one of the country's five special autonomous regions, and its identity is genuinely distinct — part Italian, part Central European, shaped by centuries of Habsburg rule and a mix of Italian, Slovenian, and Friulian languages still spoken today.
The region divides into two very different halves. To the west, the Friuli plain and its hills produce some of Italy's finest white wines — Collio, Friuli Colli Orientali — and the city of Udine gives a relaxed, prosperous feel to the interior. To the east, Trieste stands apart: a melancholy, grand port city that was the Habsburg Empire's outlet to the sea, and retains the coffee-house culture, monumental architecture, and literary associations — James Joyce lived here for a decade — that set it apart from anywhere else in Italy.
The coast between Trieste and Grado is unremarkable, but Grado itself, a flat island-town with Roman origins and shallow lagoon beaches, has a devoted following. The Carso plateau behind Trieste is karst country, riddled with caves and offering walks with views over the Gulf of Trieste.
