Friuli-Venezia Giulia - The border lands of northeast Italy

Fly at c. 1.15pm (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Venice. Drive to Udine where all five nights are spent.

In Udine, visit the main piazza with its Gothic and Renaissance loggias, and the cathedral, basically Gothic but much augmented later. The main theme is Tiepolo, the greatest painter of the 18th century, who created several major works in the cathedral, the Oratorio della Purità and the Archbishop’s Palace. A hillock at the centre is the site of the castle, an imposing 16th-century residence housing the art gallery, a fine collection of paintings by artists from the region. 

See two of Italy’s best early medieval churches, the Basilica at Aquileia, rebuilt in the 11th century but retaining a 4th-century mosaic floor, and S. Eufemia at Grado with mosaics, pulpit and silver altar frontal. Aquileia was a major Roman city and seat of the patriarchate while Grado was its outer port.

On the way to Trieste, visit Miramare Castle. Completed in 1860 by Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg for his wife Charlotte of Belgium, it preserves their memory and identity. Before 1919 Trieste was the principal seaport of the Habsburg Empire and the busiest port in the Mediterranean, and its broad straight streets and 19th-century buildings have a distinctly Viennese cast. After a troubled 20th century, its fortunes have revived since 1989, demonstrated through grand seafront architecture. Visit the Museo Sartorio, a preserved 19th century Austrian-style Palazzo housing a selection of masterpieces, including a spectacular collection of drawings by Tiepolo. 

Cividale is in the hills bordering Slovenia. Founded by Julius Caesar and capital of the first Lombard duchy in Italy, the Tempietto Longobardo possesses the finest 8th-century sculpture to survive in Europe. The Renaissance frescoes by Pellegrino di San Daniele in the church of Sant’Antonio at San Daniele are the finest in the region. Spilimbergo has a Gothic cathedral with 14th-century frescoes. 

In the morning visit Villa Manin, residence of the last Doge of Venice, Ludovico Manin. Sacile perfectly reflects the influence of the Republic of Venice in its architecture and interior decorations. Palazzo Ragazzoni is a perfect example of a Renaissance palace in the region. Fly from Venice, arriving at London Heathrow at c. 6.45pm.