Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy: Things to Do, Provinces & Towns — Complete Guide

The hyphen in the name is not a graphic flourish: this region is made of two parts with different histories, Friuli — Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia — and Venezia Giulia, which revolves around Trieste and partly overlaps the first. There are 215 comuni in four provinces, squeezed between the Alps, the Adriatic and two state borders, and the languages spoken say it better than any map: Italian, Friulian, Slovene, and the German that Trieste has carried since it was the port of the Habsburgs. With Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige it forms what the nineteenth century called the Three Venices.

In Trieste coffee is ordered with a vocabulary that works nowhere else, in the historic cafés of a city that was the maritime capital of an empire. At Aquileia the basilica keeps the largest early Christian mosaics in the West, a UNESCO site since 1998; at Cividale you touch the Lombard legacy; on the hills of the Collio some of the most respected white wines in Italy are made. Tourism has not yet consumed this region: that is the advantage of arriving now.

Friuli Venezia Giulia

The provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia

Map and list are connected: hover one to light up the other, click to enter.

1 / 4 Gorizia 25 towns Open the guide →

4 provinces

GO Gorizia 25 towns → PN Pordenone 50 towns → TS Trieste 6 towns → UD Udine 134 towns →

The top 20 places in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →

Miramare Castle in Trieste framed by pine trees overlooking the Gulf of Trieste.

1 🏰 Castles & palaces Miramare Castle 📍 Trieste The house Archduke Maximilian left for the throne of Mexico, and never saw again.

Early Christian mosaic panel depicting the Good Shepherd in the Basilica of Aquileia, Italy

2 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Basilica of Aquileia 📍 Aquileia Spanning over 760 square meters, the West's largest early Christian mosaic anchors this historic patriarchal cathedral.

Town Hall building in Piazza Unità d'Italia, Trieste, with a central clock tower

3 🏛️ Squares & old towns Piazza Unità d'Italia 📍 Trieste Spanning 12,280 square meters, Trieste's main square is the largest in Europe to open directly onto the sea.

Friuli Venezia Giulia and around, on the map

What's around

Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.

✨ Friuli Venezia Giulia by theme

🏘️ Villages 5 🏛️ UNESCO heritage 3 🏖️ Seaside 2 🍷 Food & wine 1

Tours, tickets and experiences

Friuli Venezia Giulia

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Upcoming events in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Patron saint festival In 7 days 📍 Rivignano Teor

Feast of Saint John Paul II

📅 Every year, on 22 October

On 22 October Rivignano Teor celebrates its patron Saint John Paul II; the municipal territory includes the Biotopo Risorgive di Zarnicco wetland.

Patron saint festival In 19 days 📍 Trieste

Feast of Saint Justus

📅 Every year, on 3 November

On 3 November Trieste celebrates Saint Justus. The hill above the city carries his name, and so do the cathedral and the castle that stand on it.

Patron saint festival In 20 days 📍 Tarcento

Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of the great bonfire on the hill of Coia

📅 Every year, on 4 November; on 5 and 6 January Coia hosts the Palio dei Pignarulârs and the great bonfire

Tarcento celebrates the town's patron, Saint Charles Borromeo, on 4 November. On 5 January, the «Palio dei Pignarulârs» is run, a race of flaming carts through the streets of the centre; on 6 January, after a costumed historical reenactment, a torchlight procession climbs to the ruins of Coia castle, where the great bonfire is lit and the Venerable Old Man reads omens for the new year from the direction of the smoke.

Patron saint festival In 22 days 📍 San Leonardo

Feast of Saint Leonard of Noblac

📅 Every year, on 6 November

On 6 November San Leonardo celebrates its patron and namesake Saint Leonard of Noblac; the town's name is already documented in 1257.

All events in Friuli Venezia Giulia →