Trieste and Friuli tour

With five languages, four national park, three borders, beaches and Alpine mountains, exceptional walking, gorgeous towns and fabulous food, the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) has all the ingredients for a very special two week visit!

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With its mountains, plains and seashores all less than an hour's drive apart, Italian writer Ippolito Nievo fondly described Friuli as a "little compendium of the universe".  This Hidden Italy special sets about exploring that universe.

The tour starts with two days in Udine, an elegant provincial capital.  We then drive north-east into the mountains to a beautifully preserved village above a lake in a quiet valley in the heart of the Carnian Alps, our base for the next four days.  From here we go east across the plains to ‘Venetian Slovenia’, a wedge of beautiful forested hills that forms the frontier between Italy and Slovenia.  Our base is an elegant old estate in the heart of the Collio wine producing area.  Our last two nights are in the grand port city of Trieste, for four centuries the Mediterranean port for the Austro-Hungarian Empire - a fitting place to end our visit.  Trieste has fast train connections to the rest of Italy.

Food is an important part of any visit to Italy but this is particularly true of FVG which has some of Italy’s finest produce, including Collio wines, San Daniele ham and Montasio cheese, while the farmers’ markets of Gorizia and Pordenone are legendary.  The Via dei Sapori is an association twenty of the region’s best restaurants and we will follow their trail (there is one in each of the places we visit) using them as a key to unlock the secrets of FVG cooking.

The walks

The walks

With its pristine forests, national parks and fascinating history, Friuli offers some wonderful walks, including exploring the valleys and mountains of the Carnian Alps; following the historic trails through the hills that hug the Slovenian border; walking through the vineyards of the Collio region. The walks range from 8 to 17 kms and follow well-marked trails, mostly unsealed country roads. In some cases it is possible to shorten the walk or to opt out and join the walkers for lunch. Gradings for the individual walks are on the itinerary - click the link for each day to see the details.

The accommodation

The accommodation

The tour starts with two nights in a classic four-star hotel in the centre of Udine and finishes in one of the grand hotels of Italy: set in an elegant palazzo dating from 1727 overlooking the Piazza Unita d'Italia, the heart of Trieste.  In between, we stay in a beautiful family-run mountain lodge for four nights and another four nights in an elegant old Austro-Hungarian estate in a vineyard on the edge of the captial of the Collio wine district. 

The food

The food

With its long coast line, fertile plains, unspoilt mountains and ancient traditions, the food of Friuli is as diverse as the region itself.  Friuli also produces some of Italy's finest ingredients.  We'll use the 'Via dei Sapori', a group of the twenty finest restaurants in Friuli, to unlock the secrets, not only eating their wonderful meals but also visiting their suppliers: farmers markets, cheesemakers, prosciutto producers, vegetable growers, vignerons.... We will also enjoy a cooking lesson along the way.

The tour leader

The tour leader

Sarah grew up in Tasmania where she developed her love for the outdoors, particularly hiking and skiing.  She has lived in Italy for twenty years.  Along the way, she collected a Masters in Italian Studies from UC Berkeley (California) and a PhD in Italian History from Sydney University.  During her time in Italy, she has had extensive experience guiding and administrating cultural tours for a number of American and English travel companies and universities.  Sarah is a great cook and an enthusiastic chorister.  She currently lives with her husband Roberto and young son on a small farm in southern Umbria, where, among other things, she is honing her skills in growing and producing olive oil.  I met Sarah years ago in Sydney and I’m very pleased that I finally convinced her to join the Hidden Italy team.

Booking conditions

To confirm the booking, a deposit of 25% of the total booking cost is required within 7 days of the issue of the invoice.  Please note that in the event of customer cancellation, deposits are refunded, less a cancellation fee of $500 per person per tour..  Click here for full T&C’s

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Trieste and Friuli in Autumn: 13 days/12 nights

  • Tour Leader

    Sarah Morgan

  • Tour Dates

    19 September to 1 October, 2025

    (The 2024 tour is fully booked)

    Tour costs quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD)

  • Tour Size
    7 to 15 clients
  • Tour Cost

    $7,750

    per person
  • Single supplement $1000 (double room for single use)
  • 12 night’s accommodation (see the itinerary for details) in excellent boutique hotels
  • All breakfast, and all lunches and dinners (wine included) listed in the itinerary
  • Cooking lesson
  • All transfers during the tours
  • All taxes and service charges at the hotels and restaurants
  • All paid admissions during the tour
  • 7 guided walks
  • Services of a full-time professional tour guide

Map

Trieste and Friuli walking tour in autumn: Udine to Trieste FAQs

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Testimonials

Again, just wanted to say how much we thoroughly enjoyed your tour and it was the best travel decision we've ever made.

– Aldo and Val, Trieste and Friuli, Sept 2018

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