Italian Itinerary (Part One)

As I sat there looking out the kitchen window at the foothills of the Italian alps, I thought what better subject to write to you about (when I got back) than my most recent holiday. After all, travelling Europe was the motivation behind this whole move to the UK, so, it is pertinent to write about.

The beginning of this entry was Made in Italy™. ;)


For this, our third trip since moving to the UK, we flew to Venice then drove to the eastern edge of the boot, right up into the north where my family originates from. There, nestled in the region of Friuli, on the opposite side of the alps from Austria, is a quaint little city called Maniago. The whole sector is quite spectacular in its small-villages-climbing-the-mountains kind of way, but whenever I mention it, no one really knows what I'm talking about.

Friuli offers something for everyone, complete with views of cresting peaks of green and tan as far as the eye can see. Exquisite cities like Trieste and Venice¹ can be reached in a reasonable amount of time by car, bus or train, and the golden sands of Lignano¹ are but a short hour-and-a-half away.

Because my family lives in this area, we booked 15 days to ensure plenty of time to visit everyone and still see the sights. Usually, when I plan a holiday, I do a few weeks' worth of research, compiling data from various sources. Then I pull things together in a linear way, so that there's a bit of everything without too much time spent back-tracking. This trip was different, as my dad and nonna would be flying in from Canada, and we haven't seen them since our move in December 2015. Thus, we went with the flow.

So. What did we do?

First of all, as we landed in Venice around 10:30PM on Sunday night, my uncle warned me to go through Conegliano and not Portogruaro, as trucks would be on the road en masse. (In Italy, vans and commercial rigs aren't allowed on the roads on Sunday due to all the traffic. So they stop wherever they are at, and resume travel at 10PM Sunday night. Keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Also plan for tolls if you're driving.)

The little town of Maniago is quite lovely, sitting at the foot of the alps, with its red-roofed houses and charming bell towers. There's the Piazza Italia, with its central tiered fountain, where people meet and go about their business. Every Monday morning the market is held here, and locals gather to buy fresh vegetables and local cheese, along with clothes and other items. The piazza is bordered by a variety of small shops selling clothes, knives (the city was once famous for its coltelleria Due Cigni), cured meats and fresh baked goods. It is also home to Maniago's city hall, a few cafes, a gelateria, and some bars. If you look up towards the mountains, on one side you can see "the four walls" of Castello di Maniago, now nothing but a ruin. Take via Castello out of the piazza all the way to the end and follow the asphalted path up the mountain to view the crumbling stone walls up close, and get a bird's eye view of the gardens below which once belonged to the Counts. At night, the castle is illuminated, nothing extraordinary mind you, but worth a look if you happen to be there. The bell tower in the piazza rings the hour between 7AM and 11PM (or something like that), and can be heard all around the village. On the other side of town, there's a little church with its own bell tower, and a small monument commemorating the local boys who fell in the great wars. Age-old houses mix with new ones—new ones that look age-old and thus fit right in—crawling along the street's edge, with red clay pots bursting with flowers on the window sills and beautiful wooden shutters that dull the sun's intensity.

Parrocchia San Mauro Martire, in Maniago.

Long ago, before the chiesetta Fontanute was built, Maniago's citizens would fill water bottles with the water pouring straight from the mountain. Since then, some have capitalized on water, and locals now pay for their "fresh water" at various depots around the town. However, you can still find the fontanute spewing ice-cold water from a tiny pipe shoved into the mountain side, as it has done for decades. I drank from it, as I did back in 1992, though now they say we shouldn't as the water hasn't been tested. (I wonder who they are.) If you'd like to at least feel it drip on your fingers, click on the link to find the church. When you're there for real, go to the left of the church, towards the mountain, there's a worn little path that will lead you right to it. (Coordinates for your itinerary: 46°10'05.8"N 12°41'46.3"E)

Now enough with the homeland, what else did we see?

Aquileia
For those who like Roman history and/or archaeology, you may want to visit for a few hours. Aquileia was originally a Roman city, so there are many ruins to be seen: mosaic floors in pristine condition, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, ruins of the old Roman port, etc. On a really hot day, across from the basilica, you can drink deliciously cold water from a large faucet set in stone above an overflowing basin. There's also the bell tower you can visit for a small fee (which we skipped). In front of the tower, there's a tall column topped with a wolf, the symbol of Rome. Make sure to stroll through the cemetery behind the church before you go; it's really peaceful, with rows of iron crosses lined by white stone walkways, and a beautiful bronze and marble sculpture depicting an angel raising the fallen soldier to Heaven. If you have time, you may like to visit the city's National Archaeology Museum nestled in an old building with tall pyramids of stone urns displayed within the fenced lawn. The rest of the group didn't care to visit the museum, so we missed it and I can't really say if it's a must-see.

Inside the Basilica

On our way to Aquileia, we stopped at the Sacrario di Redipuglia for my husband (the WWI & II history lover), a cemetery and monument built on either side of a valley created by the autostrada. On one side, the cemetery goes up and up, and you can read eloquent statements regarding the various regimens that served in the war, and their traditions remembered by locals. Across the road, steps leading forever upwards bear the names of soldiers and commanders, in alphabetical order (no rank higher than another), which reminded me of the Canadian War Memorial in Vimy, France.

"Unknown Soldier
What does my name matter?
Shout into the wind: infantryman of Italy!
And I will sleep happily."

From there, we headed towards Palmanova, a walled city—that if seen from the sky—is shaped like a star. For history buffs, this city has much to offer. For shopping buffs, it is known for its outlets. ;)

Trieste
A visit to Friuli is not complete without a stop in Trieste. This is the capital city of the region, and it was all cleaned up in 2009, in anticipation of Hillary Clinton's presence—or more ironically, her absence, due to a fractured elbow—at the G8 summit in June that year. It is a coastal city, with gorgeous views of the Gulf of Trieste in the Adriatic Sea. In the harbour, we were lucky to see incredible white jellyfish ringed with a delicate purple line pulsing gracefully along. (This species is called Rhizostoma Pulmo, or Barrel jellyfish, and is known as a gentle giant as its sting is very weak to humans.)

Barrel Jellyfish

After seeing the capital's city centre, onward we went to see the castle and cathedral of San Giusto. The castle offers great panoramic views of the city (and a very nice breeze on a hot day), with a terrace on the ramparts. The cathedral—not as cool inside as I would have liked—was small, but pretty, the domed ceiling of its apse painted with a kind of reflective paint that seemed to sparkle despite the dimmed lighting within.

View from Castello San Giusto

Before reaching Trieste, we stopped for a guided tour of the Grotta Gigante, a cave over 100m below ground. Five hundred steps down, then another 500 back up again. Wear appropriate shoes, bring a warm sweater, and don't touch the stalagmites. The whole tour lasted about an hour, and the belly of the cavern was spectacular to see. Well worth the visit.

Inside the Grotta Gigante, about 2/3 of the way down.

We finished the day in the very packed area around Castello di Miramare (any Sissi amateurs?), just walking the grounds and admiring the views as the sun turned the castle's walls a blinding white despite the late hour. A long beach lines the road toward the castle, so if you plan on visiting this particular spot, you might want to head out early (parking is limited) and make a day of it by bringing swim suits and towels.

Rear terrace of Castello di Miramare.

I have plenty more to say about the places we saw, but this post has gone on long enough. I will be back early next week with Part Two of this subject. Once it is complete, hopefully it can be a helpful resource to anyone planning a similar trip.


Footnotes//
¹ Venice and Lignano are in the Veneto region, and not in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia.