Introduction to the region: Friuli Venezia Giulia
Editorial Note: The name of this region was hyphenated (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) only until 2001 when, in connection with a modification of article nr. 116 of the Italian constitution, the official spelling Friuli Venezia Giulia (without the hyphen) was adopted.
Attribution: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32775
The city of Trieste and the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia had been on my radar for a while, but full disclosure, I had trouble remembering the order of the three words in the region’s name. For years I said, “I really want to go to ‘Giulia Fruili Venezia’ no ‘Venezia Friuli Giulia’ no no, ‘Friuli Venezia Giulia’ yes!” But I will tell you, once visiting this unique region of Italy, I have never forgot again. Another early anecdote that I have about the region is from when I was teaching at a language school in 2010. I had a very sweet private student who was Slovenian but was born and raised in Trieste. She spoke about how vast the community of Slovenians in this area of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and vice versa, that is, Italians in Slovenia. When I finally travelled to the region to spend the American holiday of ‘Thanksgiving’, as we always have a few days off work, her points were immediately illustrated.
The red marker shows the city of Trieste in proximity to the Slovenian border
From the center of Trieste, you can reach the border with Slovenia in a mere 20 minutes. As I will explain, exploring this shared culture will make a great experience for your stay in this region. If you have more time, I would recommend continuing your journey and fully experiencing the scenic country of Slovenia. There is still time. Although Instagram and CNN Travel have made the discovery, full saturation is not yet upon us. (I did come upon interesting articles about tourists making a ‘pilgrimage’ to the birthplace of the current FLOTUS, Melania Trump; she was born in the small town of Novo Mesto, for the record, hm…)
Moving swiftly away from American politics, Slovenia contributes greatly to the culture of this Italian region, but it is not the only country of influence. This part of Italy also borders Austria and the culture is reflected in the extravagant cafés of the 19th and early 20th century, conjuring deja vu of time spent in Vienna, and the cuisine. Bier Stube, one of my recommended restaurants, is the perfect place to experience the Austro-Hungarian influence in the cuisine of this region.
The fact that I could not remember the order of names in the region is perhaps not as irrelevant and embarrassing as it first appears. It is relevant to the centuries of divisions between these parts. The unification of the historical and geographical ‘Friuli’ part joined with the ‘Venezia Giulia’ area to become the Italian region only in 1963. The ‘Julian March’ (used as the English translation for Venezia Giulia) area is divided amongst the countries of Italy, Croatia and Slovenia, and only a small part of the historical area ‘Venezia Giulia’ is part of contemporary Italy. Hence, the ‘friuli’ part of the region contains a large part of the population (about three-fifths of the region’s population, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Because ‘Friuli’ has long had its own native language (Friulian) and cultural identity, there are still movements for an autonomous Friuli (think Scotland and Catalonia, but on a smaller scale).
The Arco di Riccardo in Trieste, a Roman gate which probably dates to the 1st century CE.
Like all of Italy, the region has pre-Roman and Roman history (conquered by Romans in the 2nd century BCE), then was caught between the Venetian and Austrian empires in the 15th-17th centuries. Then, as explained in the Encyclopedia Britannica entry: “After 1815 all of Venezia Giulia and Friuli fell under Habsburg rule; Udine province (including Pordenone) became part of Italy in 1866, and the rest of the region (including much of what is now Slovenia and Croatia) was added in 1918.” This complex and varied history is more than I will explain here, as my focus is to provide a glimpse into the history with the primary purpose of having a more informed experience of the region today. Read more here.
Ultimately, I start with the name and end with the name. Friuli Venezia Giulia is symbolic of a region that has been constructed and reconstructed with centuries of history, centuries of conflicts and conquests, and political agendas determining the geographical makeup of a place. Today, for tourist purposes, I think it is important to know, at least the cliff notes version, of this history, to enjoy the food, culture and history. I will recommend some of the best places to do this in the now region’s capital, Trieste, in the subsequent posts.