Friuli Venezia Giulia is a frontier land, where the Latin culture came in profound contact with the nearby Germanic, Slovenian and Oriental cultures, resulting in a unique mix of characteristic elements, that then protected itself from other influences.
Some important skiing resorts are Forni di Sopra, Ravascletto/Zoncolan, Tarvisio, Piancavallo and Sella Nevea.
Trieste is a town with a particular charm: we suggest you visit Saint Giusto Castle to enjoy the view of the gulf of Trieste, the sea aquarium, which houses some specimens of the Adriatic marine fauna, and the early Christian Basilica and the Cathedral.
In the neighbourhood of Trieste we can find Miramare Castle, a white castle built by the archduke Massimiliano d'Asburgo in 1856, today still furnished in the style of that age and immersed in the greenery of the garden.
In the Gulf of Trieste we find the bathing establishments of Grignano, Sistiana (which has a nice beach) and Duino, a nice fishing village.
Aquilea was founded by the Romans as a military colony in 181 B.C. . At first, it represented a defensive fortress to ward off invasion by barbaric peoples and a base for military expeditions.
Helped by a good road network and a majestic river port, it soon became more important for its trade and the development of refined handicrafts (jewels ,ambers, glasses). It reached its greatest times under the rule of Caesar Augusto (27 B.C.-14 A.C) as it became the capital of X Regio "Venetia and Histria".
The basilica founded in the fourth century a.c. keeps the mosaics over the floors of the nave and "the crypt of Scavi". The mosaics reveal a language of secret symbols that the persecuted Christians used to express their faith secretly. Visit the national archaeological museum, the early Christian museum of Monastero and the civic museum of Patriarchate.
At the ends of the lagoon of Marano and Grado we can find Grado and Lignano Sabbiadoro , the latter, set in a wonderful pinewood, lodges an important institute for treatments that exploit the therapeutic properties of the local sea water and sand.
The natural park of the Dolomities of Friuli is the larger of the two Friuli-Venezia Giulia Parks and it is a real paradise for naturalistic hiking and trekking, and has a good network of paths and a number of shelters.
Various guided tours are available with different levels of difficulty and some are prepared specially for schools, such as the visit to Casera Casavento where you can see the fossil prints of dinosaurs.

LOCAL CULINARY SPECIALITIES:
First course : soups, agnolotti and gnocchi in Carnia, "lota" in Trieste and Gorizia, Friulian rice cooked in broth and dry rice .
Second course : pig with polenta in Carnia, Liptauer cheese and Gulasch in Trieste and Gorizia, San Daniele ham, goose salami, wild-boar and she-ass salamis and "musèt" in Friuli.
Desserts : ?Pistum?, a kind of sweet-and-sour gnocchi offered at Ester in Carnia, batter-fritter and Gubana (in Gorizia).
Wines : Traminer, Tocai, Pinot bianco, Pinot Grigio, Ribola Gialla, Verduzzo friulano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Riesling, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Merlot, Cabernet Savignon and Malvasia Istriana.