Europe
(166)
Italy
(58)
Germany
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France
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Spain
(15)
United Kingdom
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Austria
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Czech Republic
(6)
Greece
(6)
Switzerland
(6)
Netherlands
(4)
Finland
(3)
Portugal
(3)
Slovakia
(3)
Malta
(2)
Albania
(1)
Armenia
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Friuli-Venezia Giulia - The border lands of northeast Italy
Tour highlights
- A wide variety of art and architecture: Roman, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance.
- Tiepolo is a recurrent theme and the tour is based in Udine where he worked early in his career.
Cumbersome by name, complex by history, the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is tucked within the north-eastern borders of Italy and bound by Austria, Slovenia, the Veneto and the Adriatic. Much of the region was ceded to Italy by Austria only after the First World War; a border dispute with Yugoslavia rumbled into the 1970s. Understandably, it is marked by variety – ethnic, linguistic, cultural, gastronomic and topographical.
The south and centre consist of a broad alluvial plain whose glistening fecundity is fed by rivers descending from the Julian Alps and the Dolomites. The mediating foothills produce some of the finest white wines in the world. Populous and prosperous, there are many towns with historic kernels where virtually every period of Italian art and architecture is represented, from Roman to modern. Some of the early medieval buildings are particularly striking and important – Aquileia, Grado and Cividale.
There is much fine Renaissance painting and architecture: Palladianism was the dominant creed for a couple of centuries after Palladio’s death, and in addition to painters who established themselves in Venice there are several figures of talent who are not well known outside the region. Painting reached another climax in the eighteenth century as Tiepolo spent the years of his early maturity in Udine.
Udine is the base for the tour. A lively city, it has an extensive historic centre with a succession of enchantingly picturesque streets and squares and a central piazza as fine as almost any in Italy. The other big city visited is Trieste, for centuries the principal Austro-Hungarian outlet to the sea and one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean.
Practicalities
Two sharing: US$3,380 or US$3,080 without flights. Single occupancy: US$3,610 or US$3,310 without flights.
Travel by private coach; breakfasts; 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips for waiters, drivers; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Astoria Hotel Italia, Udine: a well established 4-star hotel located on one of the principal squares in the centre of town. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
The tour involves a lot of walking in town centres, where coach access is restricted, and a lot of standing in museums and churches. Uneven ground and irregular paving are standard. Some days involve a lot of driving. Average distance by coach per day: 53 miles.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Travel.State.Gov to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
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Testimonials
“Lecturer Carlo Corsato was very enthusiastic, full of knowledge and interesting ideas, and was very approachable.
”
“Carlo Corsato not only knew his subject intimately, but was also a good communicator and most congenial company.
”
“The itinerary encompassed a broad range of travel within and between locations of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The locations were enhanced by understanding the context of each location explained in comprehensive detail in advance by Dr Corsato.
”
“The itinerary encompassed a broad range of travel within and between locations of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The locations were enhanced by understanding the context of each location explained in comprehensive detail in advance by Dr Corsato.
”
“The itinerary encompassed a broad range of travel within and between locations of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The locations were enhanced by understanding the context of each location explained in comprehensive detail in advance by Dr Corsato.
”
“The itinerary encompassed a broad range of travel within and between locations of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The locations were enhanced by understanding the context of each location explained in comprehensive detail in advance by Dr Corsato.
”
“The itinerary encompassed a broad range of travel within and between locations of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The locations were enhanced by understanding the context of each location explained in comprehensive detail in advance by Dr Corsato.
”
“Carlo was a fabulous speaker and communicated his enthusiasm for the places and art we were seeing over and over.
”
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