Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Italy’s easternmost region, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a sliver of coastline across the Adriatic Sea from Venice. The region’s slogan has Lucifer kicking Adam and Eve out of paradise, and Adam saying, ‘Don’t worry, darling, we’re off to Friuli instead’. But if this is paradise, it’s intriguingly un-Italian. Despite its Roman heritage, the region feels remote, like an insubstantial bridge between the Mediterranean and Mitteleuropa. Were it not for the border juggling that followed World War I, Friuli would probably be part of Slovenia today. 

Known as the Trieste Riviera, this curving coastline runs from Roman Aquileia to Austrian-flavoured Trieste. The coast was once connected by the Via Germina, a Roman road which ran all the way to Pula in Croatia. Beyond Trieste, the foothills produce the county’s finest white wines.

Given that Friuli stretches into Slovenia and Austria, it offers that intriguing cultural mix not found outside Mitteleuropa. Aquileia, with its fine Roman and Early Christian remains, feels resolutely Roman. Arty Udine, with its well-preserved historic heart, feels Venetian while the slumbering lagoon resort of Grado seems Byzantine. Trieste conjures up images of an aloof but cosmopolitan port, but the Neoclassical grandeur and airy setting are matched by an elegant café society, which evokes Vienna rather than Rome.

Friuli is proud of its 130-km coastline, awash with regattas, held in the 23 marinas. Golden dunes give way to rocky inlets, steep cliffs and old-fashioned spa resorts. Trieste’s nautical heritage ranges from its shipyards and grand port to its cliff-side castle, sandy beaches and coastal walks. Lignano, which Ernest Hemingway dubbed ‘Italy’s little Florida’, is the liveliest summer resort.

As for the hinterland, the Carso uplands are walking country but hiking is grander in the Dolomites. The Dolomites of Friuli are now Unesco-listed so the wild Valcellina, Tagliamento and Tramontina valleys are safeguarded.

Staying in rural accommodation is the perfect way to see some of Friuli’s finest castles, which can be combined with vineyard-hopping and food-tastings. Five villages are classified among ‘the most beautiful in Italy’ (an official classification, not tourist board spin). These places are genuinely hospitable and haven’t been tarted up, with prices to match. The hilly Collio district www.collio.it is lovely, like a wilder Tuscany, and is dotted with vineyards and border castles.

The grandest castles are best reached from Trieste. Miramare, the most engaging castle, was built by Maximilian, brother to Franz Joseph, the Habsburg Emperor. The hopeless romantic fell for ‘a castle with a big garden on a beach’. The medieval castle of Duino www.castellodiduino.it has hosted Liszt but now seeks to stage your wedding.

As for gastro delights, prestigious San Daniele ham, Montasio cheese, honey, coffee, grappa and superb white wines await you – as does caffeine-infused tiramisu. Grappa has been produced here for two millennia while the white wines in Collio Orientali were first planted near Cividale by Julius Caesar. The dry, straw-coloured Collio Tocai Friuliano has a delicate almond-scented aroma and is best-served with grilled fish or as a classic aperitif.

In Trieste, go on a cafe crawl to see Caffe degli Specchi and Caffe San Marco. These are Viennese style literary cafes, from the creamy-white decor to the rich Mitteleuropean cakes. Trieste is the home of Illy Coffee, Italy’s leading coffee-producing family, as well as being the leading coffee port in the Mediterranean. The cosmopolitan port is home to historic, literary cafes that make Trieste the capital of Italian coffee culture. The locals drink an average of 10kg a year, twice the national average. No wonder that James Joyce chose to live here, with his writerly brain fuelled by coffee, culture and sea views.