Hidden Italy - Trieste & Friuli Venezia

Experience the cosmopolitan highlights of Friuli-Venezia’s most intriguing centres with lighter-paced, small-group excursions and a luxury hotel stay on the Italian Adriatic.

Immerse yourself in the multicultural heritage of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with an enlightening week-long tour, taking in some truly memorable countryside towns. Starting with a flight to Venice, ease into your exploration with an introductory tour of coastal Grado, your base for the next week. Coffee-capital Trieste, a former Habsburg free port, is next and you’ll get a taste for its historic importance and its diverse cultural influences with a guided tour of its welcoming town squares. You’ll then take in a pair of UNESCO-listed cities, ancient Aquileia and Palmanova, where Northern Italy’s classical Roman history will be on full display.

With stops at a number of magnificent Duomos (cathedrals), witness the region’s rich artistic heritage with opportunities to view its traditional hand-crafted statues and intricate mosaics. An optional trip to hilltop Spilimbergo follows and you can try your hand at this ancient artform before sampling fine local prosciutto and Grappa. Next, take in idyllic Cividale, with its pretty architecture and Lombardian-Roman heritage, before heading for the border town of Gorizia. Here, embrace a city of two cultures, with stops on both the Italian and Slovenian side of the border, before settling in for wine tasting at a local vineyard. Round out your wish-list tour the way you want to with a final day at leisure on the idyllic Adriatic Coast or join an optional tour to elegant Venice.

What's Included:

• Seven nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation at the four-star Grand Hotel Astoria, Grado, or the five-star Hotel Savoy, Grado, or dinner, bed and breakfast at the four-star Laguna Palace Hotel.
• Tour of Trieste
• Visits to Aquilea and Palmanova
• Trip to Cividale
• Wine tasting in Gorizia
• Return flights to Venice
• Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers throughout
• Fully escorted by a friendly, experienced tour manager

Highlights:

• Take in historic Trieste, one of Europe’s coffee capitals, witness its Austro-Hungarian architecture and embrace its café culture
• Explore Palmanova, the world’s first Venetian star fort, and soak up its cosmopolitan atmosphere under guidance
• Experience the Italian and Slovenian sides of border town Gorizia and sample some of its finest local labels at a neighbouring winery
• Delve into Friuli-Venezia’s classical past with visits to the ancient Roman city of Aquileia
• Settle into idyllic Grado with an introductory tour of its charming seafront attractions
• Discover the heart of Italian romance, canal-city Venice, on a memorable optional excursion
• Marvel at riverside Cividale’s magnificent Devil’s Bridge and learn about its rich Lombardian heritage on a walking tour

Day 1: Fly to Venice

Fly to Venice this morning and meet your friendly local tour manager before travelling to your hotel in coastal Grado, one of Friuli-Venezia’s most scenic Adriatic towns. After checking in, you’ll have the rest of the evening to relax on the seafront or perhaps enjoy some initial self-guided exploration of the town.

Day 2: Morning at leisure with included afternoon walking tour of Grado

Enjoy a leisurely morning in Friuli-Venezia, with breakfast at the hotel. Later this afternoon, join your tour manager for a walking tour of charming Grado. Starting in the Centro Storico district, you’ll be introduced to the town’s timeless beauty, religious centres and bustling harbour areas. The tour will begin at the Basilica di Sant’Eufemia, one of Grado’s two early Christian churches, which lost its Cathedral status in the 15th-century.

While here, admire its traditional Romanesque architecture and Byzantine mosaics before continuing along pretty streets to the town’s other landmark church, the Basical di Santa Maria delle Grazie. Overlooking the Campo dei Patriarchi, the Centro Storico’s traditional heart, this imposing 6th-century building ranks amongst some of the oldest churches in Italy. After a brief stop, you’ll end the tour with a stroll along Grado’s seafront for an introduction to its maritime past and panoramic views over the glittering Adriatic Coast. The rest of the evening will be at leisure to spend as you see fit, perhaps finding dinner locally or unwinding by the sea.

Day 3: Included tour to Trieste by boat

This morning, have breakfast at the hotel before making the ferry crossing to Trieste, known by some as ‘Vienna by the Sea’. This cosmopolitan city, a former free port of the Habsburg empire which was originally founded by the Romans, boasts a distinctive blend of influences and you’ll experience its cultural nuances first hand with a guided tour.

Start your exploration at the Piazza Unità, the city’s lively main square and Europe’s largest open-air sea square. Here, enjoy your first taste of the city’s opulent Austro-Hungarian architecture, ahead of a stop at one of the city’s most intriguing landmarks, the Arco di Ricardo. This ornate arch, once part of the original Roman wall from the city’s founding, is nestled amongst a popular café-lined square, and strikingly contrasts its surrounding buildings. Next, you’ll take in the magnificent Chiesa di San Spiridione, a grand Byzantine-style Serbian Orthodox church, admiring its grand vaulted ceilings and iconic, blue-domed roofs. While here, you can also view the intricate mosaics that adorn its outer facades and cloisters.

Continuing along the nearby Canal Grandé, a major waterway that connects the city’s harbour to its inland commercial districts, you’ll learn about Trieste’s economic importance under the Habsburg empire. Your final stop today will be the Molo Audace, a pier which stretches almost 250 meters into the Gulf of Trieste, for unobstructed views across the wharfs and quays that line the surrounding coastline. Your guide will explain how easy access to the Adriatic Coast helped make Trieste a centre for the world coffee trade before showing you some of the best places to embrace its lively café culture.

Later this evening, head back to the hotel.

Day 4: Included visits to Palmanova and Aquileia

Two UNESCO-listed gems await today, starting with an unmissable excursion to Palmanova, the world’s first Venetian star fort. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before heading north to discover one of Italy’s most unique cities layouts. Arranged in a nine-pointed star, this Renaissance town was originally founded as a military encampment and is one of the best-preserved star forts across the world.

Upon arrival, admire the picturesque, cobbled streets which have led Palmanova to be described as ‘one of Italy’s most beautiful villages’, before heading to the Piazza Grande at the heart of the town. This pretty open-air square is lined by al fresco cafés and shops, and you’ll have some time to explore before heading to the piazza’s centrepiece, the imposing Dogal Cathedral. Built in the early 17th-century, this magnificent building exemplifies the town’s Venetian heritage, and you can admire its exquisite, frescoed chapels at your own pace or alongside your tour manager.

This afternoon, head back south to Grado, stopping in ancient Aquileia en route for a tour of its world-renowned Roman ruins. Once one of the world’s largest cities, housing over 100,000 people at its height, Aquileia still retains a number of original classical buildings. Start with a visit to the town’s spectacular cathedral, The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, where you’ll find colourful frescoed cloisters and Europe’s largest mosaic floor. Though the city was sacked by invading Huns in the 4th century CE, this exquisite building has remained one of Aquileia’s most iconic landmarks for over a millennium. Afterwards, learn about the city’s Roman history with a tour of the National Archaeological Museum. Based in the Cassis Faroane Villa, the museum showcases an enchanting collection of authentic artefacts, hand-crafted statues and ancient ornaments which were found amongst the town’s rich heritage sites.

Later, continue to your Grado hotel for the night.

Day 5: Full day at leisure or optional tour to Spilimbergo

After breakfasting this morning, you’ll be free to spend the rest of the day as you see fit on Grado’s picturesque coast. If you’d prefer to relax after a first few days’ exploration, enjoy the hotel spa or secure a spot on the beach.

For a more active day, join this morning’s optional tour to Spilimbergo, the ‘Town of Mosaics’. Heading further north into Friuli-Venezia, trade Grado’s Adriatic lagoons for the evergreen hills of the Italian countryside, enjoying some truly breath-taking views as you drive. After arriving in Spilimbergo, you’ll be introduced the town’s rich artistic heritage and its world-famous crafts with an interactive visit to the School of Mosaics which draws students from across the world every year. Try your hand at making one of these pretty tiled masterpieces under the guidance of an expert artist before crossing the Tagliamento River to the medieval town of San Daniele. Here, sample some renowned Prosciutto di San Daniele, a cured ham which is only produced in this delightful Friuli town, accompanied by a glass or two of local Grappa, a grape-based brandy.

Later this evening, reconvene at the hotel with another evening at your own pace.

Day 6: Included tour to Cividale and Gorizia with wine tasting tour

Get ready for a day’s sightseeing with a hotel breakfast before travelling through bucolic countryside vistas to picturesque Cividale. First founded by Julius Caesar’s Rome, this historic town later became the capital of Lombardy’s first Italian Duchy and showcases a rich blend of cultural influences which you’ll discover.

Upon arrival, view the towering arches of the Ponte Del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge), which cuts across the winding Natisone River. Afterwards, join your tour manager on foot for a walk to the Piazza Paolo Diacono, a café-lined square built on the foundations of the town’s ancient Roman forum. Your tour manager will outline the finer details of the square’s historic architecture, before leading you through the town’s pretty, UNESCO-listed streets to its impressive Duomo. You’ll have time here to take in the Cathedral and its surrounding streets at leisure ahead of a drive to Gorizia later this afternoon.

Set on the Italian border with Slovenia, this bustling wine-producing town is neighboured by Nova Gorica, its Slovenian counterpart. After some initial exploration of the Slovenian town, head to Piazza della Vittoria on the Italian side of the border to view Neptune’s Fountain, which has marked the town’s centre since 1756. From here, observe towering Gorizia Castle which watches over the town from its hilltop position. Finally, visit St. Ignatius’ Church, a baroque Jesuit temple with onion-domed facades, and head inside to see its richly decorated altar and frescoes.

Your last stop today will be one of Gorizia’s acclaimed rural wineries and you’ll be treated to a tasting of its finest local labels. Afterwards, head back to your Grado hotel.

Day 7: Full day at leisure or optional tour to Venice

Your penultimate day in glorious Friuli-Venezia can be enjoyed as you see fit with either a full day at leisure in Grado or an optional excursion to romantic Venice.

For today’s optional excursion, board a coach after breakfast and travel through the Veneto to the city. On arrival, you'll take a walking tour of this simply breathtakingly beautiful place in the company of a local guide. The 100 or so islands that make up the city are linked by innumerable bridges, and gondolas and water taxis ply their trades on the beautiful Grand Canal, past the stunning Academia Museum and beneath the Rialto Bridge.

The vast expanse of St Mark's Square, with its sumptuous cathedral, clock tower and the Doge's Palace, the Palazzo Ducale, is one of the world’s great sights. Close by, joining the palace to the prisons, the famous Bridge of Sighs is said to have afforded condemned men a last view of the beauty of Venice en route to the gallows. Away from St Marks and the Grand Canal, a labyrinth of narrow streets waits to be explored, each new corner revealing another memorable view of this city.

In the evening reconvene with your fellow travellers back at the hotel.

Day 8: Return to the UK

This morning, enjoy breakfast before travelling back to Venice for your return flight to the UK.