Udine, Trieste or ?

[Kportgrl]

I know many of you in this group have travelled to the north east corner of Italy, and have considerable experience, exploring the cities and towns in that area so I am wondering…
From anyone who has maybe been to both, did you prefer Trieste or Udine or could you suggest another town perhaps Gorizia or Cassacco? for a 4 day visit to the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Northeast Italy. (Spring of next year). I know these cities are all quite different but I’m interested in hearing people’s impressions and their enjoyment of food, sightseeing, ease of accessing good accommodation… thanks so much. I was pretty much set on Udine but then I read some reports about it that seemed less favourable. And I became intrigued by Trieste. (Which I know could be done as a day trip from Udine.) Then I thought maybe Trieste is too large and would be more crowded and also is less central. Ugh. Information overload. Analysis paralysis.

 

[rakeshjha]

These are some popular destinations worth considering:

Trieste: Located on the Adriatic Sea, Trieste has a fascinating blend of Italian, Austrian, and Slovenian influences. It boasts elegant architecture, a beautiful waterfront, and a vibrant café culture.

Bolzano: Nestled in the Dolomite Mountains, Bolzano offers stunning alpine scenery and a mix of Italian and Austrian traditions. Explore the city's charming streets, visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, and take a cable car ride to enjoy panoramic views.

Padua: Home to one of the world's oldest universities, Padua has a rich cultural heritage. The city is known for its beautiful frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel, the grand Prato della Valle square, and the historic Palazzo della Ragione.

Udine: Located near the Slovenian border, Udine showcases a mix of Italian, Slavic, and Austrian influences. The city's historic center features elegant architecture, a castle, and lively squares where you can enjoy local cuisine.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Sorry no personal experience, though Trieste's reputation for good coffee remains a draw to me!

Linking in with Rakesh's very useful summaries, it might be useful to pose the question of what you'd be looking for from those 4 days, and how it might contrast to either home-life, if this is a long weekend, or to the other bases, if this is part of a larger holiday. It might be that a big city fits perfectly, or a peaceful under-touristed location is ideal. Or perhaps whilst Italy is the base, a day trip over the border into Slovenia is calling?

If wine interests, FVG is a rather unusual area, with a greater focus on skin-contact / 'orange' wines than other parts of Italy. Still loads of other fine white wines, but these more challenging styles have become something of a focus in the region.

Looking around the area, my eyes were drawn to this https://goo.gl/maps/vVUii92fDyP8r1wk6 a 15-20 minute cycle ride on a bridge over the lagoon, which is separate from the main road on the bridge. Something that might be photogenic and feel like an 'experience', yet doesn't leave you exposed in the sun for too long.

One book that might be worth reading at the library (or even in a bookshop) for the area is Italy for the gourmet traveller by Fred Plotkin. Over the years I've realised I find his food shop / restaurant recommendations a bit 'central' / ' obvious' and limited, but conversely it's his descriptions of the regions / cities / towns / villages that can act as a wonderful impetus to go there. His love for the country and its regional variations shines through.

 

[Kportgrl]

Sorry no personal experience, though Trieste's reputation for good coffee remains a draw to me!

Linking in with Rakesh's very useful summaries, it might be useful to pose the question of what you'd be looking for from those 4 days, and how it might contrast to either home-life, if this is a long weekend, or to the other bases, if this is part of a larger holiday. It might be that a big city fits perfectly, or a peaceful under-touristed location is ideal. Or perhaps whilst Italy is the base, a day trip over the border into Slovenia is calling?

If wine interests, FVG is a rather unusual area, with a greater focus on skin-contact / 'orange' wines than other parts of Italy. Still loads of other fine white wines, but these more challenging styles have become something of a focus in the region.

Looking around the area, my eyes were drawn to this https://goo.gl/maps/vVUii92fDyP8r1wk6 a 15-20 minute cycle ride on a bridge over the lagoon, which is separate from the main road on the bridge. Something that might be photogenic and feel like an 'experience', yet doesn't leave you exposed in the sun for too long.

One book that might be worth reading at the library (or even in a bookshop) for the area is Italy for the gourmet traveller by Fred Plotkin. Over the years I've realised I find his food shop / restaurant recommendations a bit 'central' / ' obvious' and limited, but conversely it's his descriptions of the regions / cities / towns / villages that can act as a wonderful impetus to go there. His love for the country and its regional variations shines through.

Thanks for this info Ian and Rakesh. We LOVE that coffee. Did not know of Trieste’s reputation for Coffee. This would be part of a larger holiday. We are Canadian, so nothing like any of the Italian experiences that we can have back home. I have been trying to get a hold of Plotkin’s book for a while. I’ll have to go back at it and see if I can buy it from a used book seller because I didn’t see it new, if I’m remembering correctly. And we are wine lovers and have enjoyed Fruili wines we have had in other parts of Italy.Thanks again.

 

[FedericoBoston]

Thank you Kportgrl for starting this thread. My wife and I have aspirations to visit this area, perhaps 10 days or so in FVG (love the abbreviation Ian Sutton!). We too would need a base of operations.

Aquileia shows up frequently in the guide books and sounds like "vale la pena" (worth the visit). Have also heard great things about Slovenia so there's a bit of a magnetic pull, perhaps one of the smaller cities close to Trieste.

It's off the radar I suspect, but my Italian tutor hails from Portogruaro and did a video call walkabout of that town which seemed very pleasant. An ancient port, some mid-Medieval architecture, but my knowledge is limited.

Maybe other travelers are familiar with the Marano Lagoon. I piqued my curiosity when looking at the map.

 

[joe]

I have been trying to get a hold of Plotkin’s book for a while. I’ll have to go back at it and see if I can buy it from a used book seller because I didn’t see it new, if I’m remembering correctly. And we are wine lovers and have enjoyed Fruili wines we have had in other parts of Italy.

It seems that the last edition of this book is from 2010 - quite a long time ago for food-related businesses.
So if by any chance you're looking for a more updated directory for food-related businesses, then I recommend you check the site Il Golosario, and just have Translate enabled in your browser.

The great thing about the site is that you can search for specific businesses like these (restaurants, cellars, oil mills, "producers", etc.) according to very specific geographical locations. It's not totally comprehensive of course - you can add a search on Google Maps if you want to try to be really thorough - but at least it does strive to bring quality businesses to attention, with the advantage of being constantly updated.

 

[susan]

Hi Kportgrl,

I spent 5 nights in Udine back in 2017. I took day trips to Cividale del Friuli, Aquilea and Trieste. If I went back to the region, I probably would stay in Trieste, only because there was so much to see there and a one day visit was not enough time. I really enjoyed my stay in Udine though. I found the people there to be very friendly. There was a lot to do there. The food was not as varied as in Trieste though. When planning my trip, I thought, Trieste may be too big of a city. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Trieste. I took a tour there, something I rarely do, but it was the only way to see everything and was very informative. I did get very lost in Trieste later in the day (but I am always lost!). Really hard to say without staying in Trieste to recommend one over the other. So not sure how much I am helping here!

I blogged about my time in Friuli-Venezia Giulia here. Some of my posts are just photos and other posts may be very wordy but they may give you a feel of each place. My posts may give you a better feel of each place. Hope this helps!

*WordPress has changed the formatting so these posts all have the photos on the right in a group cut off, but if you click on a photo in the group, you can see each photo in a larger size. I just haven't had time to go back and fix them all yet.

 

[Lizth]

I have been to the cities you're inquiring about in the region and rank them 1-Trieste, 2-Aquileia, 3-Udine. You might consider two nights in Trieste with sight-seeing to the highlighted destinations and a quiet evening watching the sunset over the water. If you are interested, there is a medieval church at the top of a hill in Muggia-Vechia Archaeological Park (reachable by boat) and it has magnificent frescoes. Aquileia could be a day trip from Udine and has spectacular open archaeological sites that are well interpreted. The mosaic floor of the ancient cathedral is worth the entire trip, which is a short bus ride from Udine. As for Udine, I did not find it to be all that remarkable in comparison to Trieste and Aquileia, but it is certainly worth visiting while you are in the area. Transportation is easy - good connections from the Trieste airport both to Trieste and to Udine with stations right in the airport.