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Friuli Venezia Giulia

With its triple-barrelled moniker, Friuli Venezia Giulia's multifaceted nature should come as no surprise. Cultural complexity is cherished in this small, little-visited region, tucked away on Italy's far northeastern borders with Austria and Slovenia. Its landscapes offer profound contrasts too, with the perpetually snowy Giulie and Carnic Alps in the north, idyllic grapevine-filled plains in the centre, sandy beaches along the southern shore, and limpid lagoons and craggy karst cliffs encircling the regional capital, Trieste.

While there's an amazing reserve of historical sights, from Roman ruins to Austro-Hungarian palaces to World War museums, this is also a destination for simply kicking back with the locals, tasting the region's renowned wines and discovering a culinary heritage that will broaden notions of the Italian table. Serene, intriguing Trieste and friendly, feisty Udine make for great city time – they're so easy and welcoming you'll soon feel as if you're Friulian, Venezian or Giulian too.

Explore Friuli Venezia Giulia

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Friuli Venezia Giulia.

  • Arts Centre

    Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli

    The mosaic school in Spilimbergo is one of Friuli's most fascinating places. Although established in 1922 in a post-war effort to provide vocational…

  • Church

    Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta

    The entire floor of the Latin cross-shaped basilica, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1348, is covered with one of the largest and most spectacular Roman…

  • Castle

    Castello di Miramare

    Sitting on a rocky outcrop 7km from Trieste, Castello di Miramare is the city's elegiac bookend, the fanciful neo-Gothic home of the hapless Archduke…

  • Museum

    Museo del Monte San Michele

    This small interactive museum deploys digital displays and an excellent virtual-reality experience to explore the horrors of the Italian front in the…

  • Gallery

    Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

    Udine’s modern and contemporary hub brings together a number of bequests, creating a substantial collection of 20th-century Italian artists, including De…

  • Museum

    Museo Revoltella

    This extraordinary house-museum was the home of wealthy Triestini merchant Pasquale Revoltella, who made his fortune in the timber industry and had a hand…

  • Gallery

    PAFF!

    This unique museum dedicated to the art of comic books and illustration is the only one of its kind in Europe and is the brainchild of Pordenone’s dynamic…

  • Church

    Santuario di Barbana

    Situated on an island in the lagoon, the Barbana sanctuary is an ancient shrine, the origins of which date back to 582. The current church dates to the…

  • Church

    Chiesa di Santo Spiridione

    Constructed from pearly white Istrian stone in 1868, the Serbian Orthodox church has a typical Byzantine style, its large central dome flanked by four…

  • Lighthouse

    Faro della Vittoria

    Trieste’s elegant lighthouse, with its 68m-high, fluted tower and copper dome sporting a soaring Winged Victory, is perched on the Gretta Hill and worth a…

  • Church

    Oratorio della Purità

    This intimate oratory has a dramatic ceiling painting of the Assumption by Giambattista Tiepolo, with a glowing Madonna framed by tumbling, rather…

  • Memorial

    Risiera di San Sabba

    This former rice-husking plant became a concentration camp in 1943 and has been a national monument and museum since the 1960s. The site commemorates the…

  • Area

    Borgo Teresiano

    Much of the graceful city-centre area north of Corso Italia dates to the 18th-century reign of Empress Maria Theresa, including the photogenic Canal…

  • Piazza

    Piazza della Libertà

    A shimmering Renaissance epiphany materialising from the surrounding maze of medieval streets, Piazza della Libertà is dubbed the most beautiful Venetian…

  • Cave

    Grotta Gigante

    The Carso's big-ticket attraction is this enormous underground cavern near the town of Opicina. At 120m high, 280m long and 65m wide, it's one of the…

  • Museum

    Museo Archeologico Nazionale

    Opened in 1882, Aquileia’s archaeological museum is one of the oldest in Italy. Recently renovated, its rich and varied collection has been superbly…

  • Area

    Portopiccolo

    After 40 years of wrangling and €400 million, this immaculate, whitewashed resort has finally emerged from what was an abandoned quarry. Come for a day of…

  • Chapel

    Tempietto Longobardo

    Cividale's most important sight is this stunning complex that houses the only surviving example of Lombard architecture and artwork in Europe. Built in…

  • Museum

    Civico Museo Sartorio

    This elegant urban villa set in a large garden belonged to the haute bourgeoisie Sartorio family, who amassed a huge collection of art, ceramics and…

  • Gallery

    Galleria Harry Bertoia

    Named for designer Arieto Bertoia, author of the famous 1951 ‘Diamond Chair’ (a web-like chrome chair in the shape of a diamond), this smart little museum…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

  • Activities