A varied region
The region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy and its capital is Trieste. It covers a total area of 7,845 km2 and is administratively divided into four provinces (called here Enti di Decentramento regionale): Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia and Trieste. It is bounded on the south by the Adriatic Sea, on the west by Veneto, on the north by Austria and on the east by Slovenia.
Morphologically, the region has four natural environments: the alpine and pre-alpine zone, the hills, the Friulian plain and the coastal zone. The distances are quite limited, so it is possible to change the scenery in less than two hours by car.
A mountainous territory
The mountainous part covers 42.5% of the region's territory. The main massifs are the Carnic Alps, bordered by the Carnic Pre-Alps, which include the majestic Friulian Dolomites, and the Julian Alps.
Like a natural rampart, the Carnic Alps separate Friuli from Austria, stretching from west to east for about 100 km. Their name comes from the Carnes, a people of Celtic origin who settled in the region in the5th
century B.C. This limestone mountain range culminates at Mount Coglians (2,780 m), which is also the highest point in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The Julian Alps occupy the eastern part of the region but also the northwestern part of Slovenia; the Triglav, the highest point of the massif (2,864 m), is located in the Slovenian neighbor, while the highest peak in Italian territory is the Jôf di Montasio (2,753 m). The Julian Alps are separated from the Carnic Alps by the basin of the Tagliamento river and its tributaries.The Friulian Dolomites
The Dolomites are renowned for their sublime and elusive beauty: pale and evanescent under a blazing sun, they turn red, orange and purple at dawn and dusk. These mountains are distinguished by their verticality and monumentality, a natural gigantism that made Le Corbusier say that they are "the most beautiful buildings in the world".
The Dolomites are made up of nine mountain ranges that stretch over three Italian regions: Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. They are classified as World Heritage by UNESCO since 2009 for their spectacular landscapes, their scientific and geological importance. They owe their name to an 18th century French geologist, Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who was the first to identify a different type of limestone in this part of the Alps, the dolomite, a sedimentary carbonate rock composed of calcium and magnesium. Time, climatic hazards and the effects of erosion have sculpted these stone behemoths with their tormented shapes: needles, teeth, steep cliffs and other spectacular formations contrast with the valleys that stretch out at their feet.
The Friulian Dolomites belong to the Carnic Pre-Alps and are considered the wildest of the entire dolomitic group. The National Park of the Friulian Dolomites covers an area of 36,950 hectares, 21,461 of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The impressive rock formations, such as the Spalti di Toro with its sharp peaks or the Croda Montanaia with its white fortress-like appearance, alternate with long, narrow valleys carved out by streams and rivers. From the mountain villages on the outskirts of the park there are many hiking trails. In fact, you will not find any settlements or paved roads in the interior: only a few huts and bivouacs allow you to explore the park over several days.The hills and the Friulian plain
Along the border with Slovenia there is a territory of gentle hills covered with vineyards: the Collio and the Colli Orientali del Friuli, which produce DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata
) wines of international renown.The pianura friulana
(Friulian plain) takes over the rest of the territory south of the Alps. It is considered the easternmost extension of the vast Po basin. Thereare:
Thealta pianura
(high plain): located at an average altitude of 100 m, it includes the municipalities of Udine, Spilimbergo and Cividale del Friuli.The bassa pianura
(low plain): this is the southern part of the Friulian plain and is where intensive agriculture is concentrated (corn and soybeans in particular). The soil of the plain is of sedimentary nature, formed by the fluvial deposits of the numerous rivers which have their source in the mountainous reliefs. The most important of these is the Tagliamento River, which crosses the region for 178 km. It rises in the north of the Friulian Dolomites, near the border with Veneto, and flows from west to east, parallel to the Carnic Alps. After the municipality of Tolmezzo, it branches off to the south and its course widens in the high plain. It then forms the border with Veneto before flowing into the Adriatic between Bibione and Lignano Sabbiadoro.The Adriatic coast
The mouth of the Isonzo River separates the Friulian coast from the Gulf of Trieste, bordered by the Julian Veneto; from one to the other, the change of scenery is guaranteed.
The Friulian coast is bounded on the west by the mouth of the Tagliamento river. The long sandy beach of the well-named Lignano Sabbiadoro (Sabbiadoro translates as "golden sand") is popular with beach tourism. The lagoons of Marano and Grado follow, separated from the Adriatic by a myriad of small islands. The whole landscape is made of canals, sandy strips and typical coastal vegetation. Less touristy, the lagoons attract nature lovers in search of silence.
To the east, the Gulf of Trieste is bordered by Italy and the Istrian peninsula. Its coastline offers a very fragmented profile alternating pebble beaches, coves and rocky capes. It occupies, in fact, the last foothills of the Carso, or Karst Plateau, which overlooks Trieste. This high limestone plateau is carved with caves, crevices and sinkholes, the result of the underground action of water. The natural phenomenon called "karst erosion" has been identified here, on the Karst Plateau, which is the origin of its scientific name.
