Friuli-Venezia Giulia is an autonomous region of Italy. The most easterly, on the borders with Austria and Slovenia.
Gorizia (GO)
Pordenone (PN)
Trieste (TS)
Udine (UD)
The predominant language is Italian, but there are noteworthy Friulian, Slovenian, and even small German minorities in the region. Surprisingly, people in this region tend to speak better English than in the rest of Italy.
Regional trains are operated by Trenitalia and connect between most important towns and cities, making them a very convenient way to get around. The trains are generally fairly clean and most of them have power sockets and air conditioning. Frequencies vary between lines, however there is generally one train per hour on the most important ones, with some trains running every half hour at peak times between Trieste and Udine. Bikes can also be carried on the trains, after paying the appropriate supplement, a useful way to get to the Alpe Adria cycleway.
Aside from the Trenitalia trains there are also two lines operated by Ferrovie Udine-Cividale (FUC), which primarily runs trains between Udine and the town of Cividale. They also operate the Micotra - a regional train from Udine to Villach, in Austria. If you're intending to visit Cividale by train remember that tickets can't be bought on normal Trenitalia ticket machines - instead, there is a special FUC ticket machine at the Udine railway station, or you can buy tickets at the tobacconist inside the station itself. Tickets, however, can (and must) be validated on the standard validators present at stations.
Urban and interurban buses are run by TPL FVG and connect almost all towns and villages, making them useful to travel to places not connected by rail or inside some of the bigger cities, although the schedules may not be very frequent depending on the line. Tickets for the urban buses cost 1.35€, while a day ticket valid for the entire network costs 3€. Prices for the interurban buses vary depending on the route.
TPL FVG also operates ferries connecting between various seaside towns (such as Grado and Lignano) during the summer, alongside the Trieste-Muggia ferry active all year. Ticket prices can be found on TPL's boat services page. It is also possible to carry one bike per passenger on the ferries, after paying for the appropriate ticket.
Climbing, walking, mountaineering, paragliding, hang-gliding, canyoning, rafting, horse riding, golf, mountain biking and cycling, spelunking, swimming, sailing, surf, wind-surf, kitesurf. On the snow: downhill, off-track and cross-country skiing, freeride, snowboard, snow parks, ice-climbing, outings with snow-shoes and sleddogs.
The "Road of Wine and Cherries", the "Road of Ham and Castles", the "Road of Montasio Cheese".
The regional cuisine was born from the union of three great culinary traditions, the Austrian, the Venetian and the Slav, plus a sturdy and tasty popular Friulan cuisine.
Iota or Jota, porcina or porzina, game, goose products, klotznudl, knodel, bobici, kaiserfleisch, sbarbôt, bisna or bizna, cevapcici, San Daniele and Carnia smoked trout, mlinzi, gnocchi, pistum, baccalà, frico, patate in tecia, paparôt, white and green asparaguses, cjalzons, boreto or brodo or brodetto, different soups, granzevola alla triestina, marinated sardines, muset, brovada, riso e fasoi, risotti, sauc, crafus, linguâl, pestât, pestadice, salame friulano, pancetta friulana, peta or petuccia or pitina, goulash or gulash, palatschinken, cren, radicchio canarino, rosa di Gorizia, rusclin, polenta friulana, filon, dobos, cotto di Trieste and di Gorizia, toc in braide, cueste, lujagne, savors, lidric cul poc, pindulis, sassaka friulana, sculta fumât, strudel, kipfel, krapfen, struki or strucchi, crostui, esse biscuits, cuguluf, colaz, gubana friulana, pinza, putizza, presnitz, sacher, pevarins, pickles, honeys, marmelades, olive oil tergeste.
This is one of Italy's safest regions, with Trieste being arguably Italy's safest city and Udine being not far behind. A few beggars might be seen near railway stations and international borders, but otherwise nothing shocking should happen to tourists.
In Italy, the Veneto and the Trentino-Alto Adige regions. Austria and Slovenia.