This route will take you through the southern part of the province of
Udine, known as the Bassa, or Lower Friuli, as far as the lagoon
and the Adriatic Sea. The departure point is
Palmanova, easily reached from the A4 autostrada tollbooth, and
the destination is Lignano, the region’s leading holiday resort.
It can be tackled in sections, depending on time available and personal
interests. The places on the route are close to each other but in
many cases, there is no direct link by main road. This gives
visitors the opportunity to leave the major highways and take
secondary roads through the quiet countryside, discovering corners
of Friuli that are often missed.
The itinerary takes in three DOC wine zones: Friuli Annia, Friuli
Aquileia and Friuli Latisana. The Friuli Annia DOC zone was
established in 1995. It enjoys a particularly mild climate and
offers scenic countryside views, thanks in part to the neighbouring
lagoon of Marano. Vines planted on this terrain can acquire
excellent aromas, especially white varieties. Wine has been made in
the Friuli Aquileia DOC zone for many centuries, for grapes were grown here
in Roman times. The influence of the sea means the zone has a very
mild climate. The heart of the DOC is
Aquileia, a major historical and archaeological center. The
Friuli Latisana DOC zone extends along the southern part of the
province of Udine in the municipality of Latisana and ten or so nearby
villages. The nearby sea cossets the vines with warm breezes while
the sand and clay soil is rich in minerals, lending flavour and
aroma to the zone’s sturdy Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Fragrant
Friuli Latisana whites include Tocai Friulano, Pinot Bianco and
Chardonnay.
Typical products
Goose-based products (ragout, foie gras, ham and salami), asparagus,
honey
Typical dishes
Recipes based on fish and marshland feathered game
Bike Itineraries:
“The Lagoon of Marano”: San Giorgio di Nogaro-Carlino-Marano
Lagunare-Carlino-San Giorgio di Nogaro. 25.4 km-3/4 h-easy
“From the Tagliamento to the Stella”:
Latisana-Gorgo-Pertegada-Lignano-Pertegada-Titiano-Precenicco-Latisana.
51 km-5/6 h-medium difficulty
“The Roots of History”: Cervignano-Villa Vicentina- Aquileia-San
Lorenzo-Scodovacca-Cervignano. 31 km-3/4 h-easy
PALMANOVA
A masterpiece of military engineering,
Palmanova is a fortress-town founded by the Venetians in 1593 as
a bulwark against the devastating forays of the Turks, and to halt
the expansionist ambitions of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The
perimeter forms a nine-pointed star and there are only three gates.
In the center of the town is a large hexagonal piazza, overlooked by
the palazzi of the Venetian governor, the provveditore generale
(today, it is the town hall), the military commander, the Monte di
Pieta' (pawnbroker), loggias and the seventeenth-century cathedral.
It is possible to visit the fortifications, which include ramparts,
underground walkways and old barracks. For guided tours, apply to
the civic historical museum (Borgo Udine 4, tel. +39 0432 929106), which also has on display
documents on the history of Palmanova and a collection of weapons. The military historical
museum, in the tower of the Porta Cividale gate, relates the story of the various garrisons that
have succeeded each other at Palmanova in the past
An important economic center and railway hub on the Friulian
flatlands, Cervignano is, among other things, the home of the
Consorzio Tutela Vini DOC Friuli
Aquileia, whose main offices are at Scodovacca.
The town offers the interesting church of San Michele Arcangelo,
built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which also has
interesting Roman remains, and not far away in the charming
mediaeval hamlet of Strassoldo is a castle.
It was erected many
centuries ago in a strategic position where the Via Iulia Augusta, which left
Aquileia to head north to Noricum (now part of Austria), met two
other major Roman roads, the Via Annia and the Via Postumia.
As
early as the sixth century A.D., there is evidence of a residence,
called Delle Due Torri (Two Towers), but the present-day castle was
built in the early Middle Ages.
The complex comprises two separate
fortifications, the Castello di Sopra and the Castello di Sotto
(Upper and Lower Castles) and has always belonged to the Strassoldos.
This family belonged to the class of free feudal lords, probably of
Frankish or Lombard origin, and was one of the most ancient and
important houses represented in the parliament of the Patria del
Friuli. Their titles include Counts of the Roman Empire, Patricians
of Venice, and Nobles of Hungary and Friuli.
The scene of many clashes and long disputed for its strategic
position, the castle of Strassoldo was often damaged and rebuilt
over the centuries. Its current configuration dates from the
eighteenth century, when the two buildings were restructured and
converted into country residences. All that is left of the original
constructions are part of the outer walls, called the girone, and of
the inner walls, known as the gironutto, the two gates, two keeps
and the Torre Ottoniana tower, which belongs to the Castello di
Sopra. The complex is surrounded by a moat, in which flow the waters
of the Taglio. The long-established park is delightful, as is the
village chapel, dedicated to Santa Maria in Vineis and decorated
with fourteenth-century frescoes. The monuments of Strassoldo have a
wealth of interesting stories to tell. For example, the noble chapel
opposite the entrance to Castello di Sopra was the setting for the
wedding of Field Marshal Radetzky to Francesca Romana Strassoldo,
great-aunt of the present owner.
Over recent years, increasing interest in the privately owned
historic heritage and the gen eral tendency to seek out new,
exclusive areas of cultural and tourism-related significance has led
to the opening of Castello di Strassoldo di Sopra, where the owners
still live, for extraordinary events, such as conferences, business
dinners, concerts, weddings and other occasions. Group visits
(minimum twenty people) to the castle may also be booked. Visits to
other privately owned castles in the region may be booked at the
same telephone number (tel. +39 0431 93293 - fax +39 0431 93229, www.consorziocastelli.it - E-mail:: info@consorziocastelli.it)
The two castles at Strassoldo are, with the nearby castle of
Flambruzzo, part of the Castelli d’Acqua del Friuli (Water Castles
of Friuli) circuit and regularly host events, including fairs: in
spring, for “flowers, water and castles” and in autumn, for “fruit,
water and castles”.
A short distance from Cervignano is Aiello, with its museum of the
rural civilization of imperial Friuli. There are regular antique
fairs, exhibitions and country fairs while gourmet food products are
available at the Casetta del Buongustaio, the outlet of the Jolanda
De Colo' company, which specializes in cheesecloth-wrapped goose
liver and other goose-based delicacies (tel. +39 0432 997733).
Festivals and events
At Strassoldo, fairs of craft products, antique flowers and
curiosities tied in with visits to the castles and other events.
In spring: flowers, water and castles - April
In autumn: fruit, water and castles - October
A masterpiece of military engineering,
Palmanova is a fortress-town founded by the Venetians in 1593 as
a bulwark against the devastating forays of the Turks, and to halt
the expansionist ambitions of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The
perimeter forms a nine-pointed star and there are only three gates.
In the center of the town is a large hexagonal piazza, overlooked by
the palazzi of the Venetian governor, the provveditore generale
(today, it is the town hall), the military commander, the Monte di
Pieta' (pawnbroker), loggias and the seventeenth-century cathedral.
