Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is famous for its alpine mountains and for its Mediterranean coastline - this is after all a combination which in this specific composition you can only find in Italy. But it is also noted for its multiculturalism: The majority of the 1.2 million inhabitants do not only speak Italian, but as their ancient mother tongue they also speak Friulian, a language which still today is highly similar to Latin. Then there is a sizable Slovenian minority and a smaller German-speaking one. This has been positive for international trade: In the North, Friuli-Venezia Giulia borders on Austria, and in the East it shares a border with Slovenia.

Its climate is, of course, highly diverse. Although the distance between the Alps in the North and the sandy beaches in the South is not very big, they belong to very different weather patterns.

This fact - that even in the winter you can get away from the snowy mountains within an hour or two to relax under palmtrees on the beach - is one of the reasons the region is so attractive for visitors. Grado, for example, is one of the most popular seaside resorts on the Adriatic. Its cathedral was built in the fifth century - and it is just one among a big variety of historic monuments. This unique mix of authentic ancient culture with all the amenities of modern tourism makes being in Grado a very special experience.

The proud city of Trieste is the capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Despite all of its rich splendour and magnificence, it only has a population of 200 thousand. Nevertheless, this city is virtually as impressive as Rome: Just like the Italian capital, it has a multitude of monuments spanning more than two millennia, including a Roman arch, several basilicas and temples, and a amphitheatre.

After the end of the Roman Empire, construction went on undiminished, so there are Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist buildings in numbers that usually dazzle all visitors. And it must be remembered that Trieste is a coastal city - this fact tremendously adds to its extraordinary atmosphere.

The European Transport Corridor n° V which is currently being constructed - it will stretch from France to Ukraine and will go right through Friuli-Venezia Giulia - is expected to give a further boost to the the region's economy, which already strongly depends on international trade. Due to its location in the very heart of Europe and its multi-cultural heritage, Friuli-Venezia Giulia has so far been faring very well in the age of globalization.