Trieste and Friuli walking tour in autumn: Udine to Trieste

Day 1

Prosperous Udine sits on a fertile plain in the middle of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG).  With its elegant architecture and refined way of life, Udine has retained much of its past as part of the Venetian Empire.  The first two nights of our tour are in a classic 4-star hotel in the centre of the city.  After an aperitivo in our hotel, we'll have dinner in an elegant restaurant near the hotel.  (Dinner)

Day 2

This morning we take a guided walk through the historic centre of the city, starting at the castle and finishing at the Tiepolo Gallery (the great Venetian artist lived and worked for many years in Udine).  Lunch will be in a traditional osteria in the centre.  The evening is free.  (Lunch).

Day 3

This morning we leave Udine, driving north across the plains and up into the Carnia Alps, stopping for a lovely walk in the forest and lunch in a mountain lodge on the way.  (6.5 kms, 1.5 hrs, 135 mts ascent, Grade 1)

Our base for the next four days is a small, beautifully preserved mountain village overlooking a lake and surrounded by forests and soaring peaks, twenty kilometres from the Austrian border.  Dinner is at our hotel.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 4

This morning we walk up to the surrounding forests, contouring around the mountains with beautiful views over the lake before winding down to a nieghouring village where we'll have a delicious lunch (9 kms, 3.5 hrs, 224 mt ascent, Grade 2).  After lunch there is the option of following another trail back to the hotel or catching the local bus back (6 kms, 2 hrs, 333 mts ascent, Grade 2).  Dinner is at our hotel.  (Lunch and dinner).

Day 5

Our village and its twin neighbour form a German-speaking enclave in the heart of the Friulian Alps, its population descended from Austrian deserters who took refuge here in the 13th century.  Today we explore their rich heritage walking from one village to another, including a guided visit to both villages, a visit to the excellent community museum, the gorgeous church of San Osvaldo (patron saint of the Venetian goldsmiths).  In the evening we have dinner at an excellent ‘Via dei Sapori’ restaurant in our village.  (Dinner)

Day 6

This morning after a steep initial climb, we follow the mountain ridges above our village, passing through forests with spectacular views down across the valley to the beginning of the Dolomites on the western horizon.   We’ll have a light lunch in a charming restaurant before returning to our base.  (9 kms, 4 hrs, 377 mts ascent, Grade 3).  Dinner is at our hotel.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 7

Today we drive east heading to the beautiful hills that form the border between Italy and Slovenia staying in a gem of a town founded by Julius Caesar, it was an important Lombard capital (6th century) and then seat of the powerful Patriarch of Aquilea (8th century) and is now a buzzy market town.  After settling in to our hotel, the evening is free.  (Lunch)

Day 8

Today we go on one of the most extraordinary walks in the Hidden Italy repertoire: a spectacular itinerary along the ridges that form the border between Italy and Slovenia.  With breath-taking mountain views, since ancient times, this border has an extraordinary past as the line where West meets East. Most recently it was part of the tragic history of modern Europe as one of the most bitterly contested fronts in WW I and as part of the ‘Iron Curtain’. A local guide will accompany us, revealing its fascinating history.  (6 kms, 3 hrs, 479 mts scent, Grade 3).  

We’ll have a delicious lunch in a mountain hut.  Back at our base, the aternoon is free.  We regroup for dinner at a wonderful osteria on the edge of town that has been in continuos operation since the 14th century.  (Lunch/dinner)

Day 9

This morning, we will take a guided tour around our base, which was founded by Julius Caesar, became an important Lombard capital (6th century) and then seat of the powerful Patriarch of Aquilea (8th century) and is now a buzzy market town.  It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.  After lunch we will drive up into the surrounding hills for a wine-tasting at a beautiful, family-run vineyards.  (Dinner)

Day 10

With an early start today, we visit the centre of the Collio wine district, one of the premier wine producing regions of northern Italy, before going for a lovely walk along country lanes through the rolling hills and vineyards and olive groves above the town.  We’ll have a long lunch in an excellent Michelin-starred trattoria only two kilometres from the Slovenian border.  We'll walk back to town after lnuch.  (11 kms, 3.5 hrs, 288 mts ascent, Grade 2)  The evening is free.  (Lunch)

Day 11

Today we transfer to Trieste, the capital of FVG.  For two centuries the main port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Trieste is a busy commercial centre with many vestiges of its rich history and intellectual traditions.  On the way we will visit an important archaeological site with spectacular Early Christian mosaics. We will also stop to visit a castle along the coast along the approach to Trieste where we then take a lovely walk through a nature reserve above the cliffs. (3 km, 1 hr, 36 mts ascent, Grade 1).   Our hotel is an elegant 4-star hotel on the city’s famous Piazza Unita d’Italia.  The evening is free.

Day 12

This morning we will go on a guided tour of the fascinating city's centre, starting in Piazza Unita d'Italia then wending our ways through the old town up to the castle with its huge views of the gulf before finishing in the 'new' town, laid out by Empress Maria Teresa of Austria.   We will then take the ferry across the gulf to a beautiful little port where we will have a lovely seafood lunch overlooking the gulf. The evening is free.

Day 13

After the breakfast you free to continue your holiday.  Trieste railway station is a short taxi ride from the hotel and has direct connections to Venice, Milan, Florence and the rest of Italy.