Italy: Region offering free perk to attract tourists

Beth Schwartz

Venice: Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the far northeast of Italy, is offering a promotion that is designed to stimulate tourism and encourage sustainable travel. The region’s tourist board, through its chosen travel agency, will reimburse visitors’ journeys if they travel to the area by train from anywhere in Italy.

Boasting canals and architecture similar to Venice and some of the best local dishes in Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia — the birthplace of grappa and tiramisu — is one of Italy’s least-touristy regions. This makes it a great place to visit if you don’t care for crowds.

The local tourist board will refund the domestic train fares of travelers to Trieste and Udine, as well as the coastal resorts of Grado and Lignano Sabbiadoro. Travelers will also get an FVGcard that allows free entry to museums, free public transport, and other discounts. This package would be great as an add-on to your visit to tourist-packed Rome, Florence, or Milan!

The promotion launched on October 7 and will run until May 31, 2023. Travelers can take advantage of the offer if they travel domestically to one of the following train stations: Latisana-Lignano-Bibione, Cervignano-Aquileia-Grado, Trieste Airport, Trieste Centrale, or Udine. The promotion applies to travel on the state-run Trenitalia trains, intercity lines, or high-speed Frecce lines.

You must stay in Friuli Venezia Giulia for at least two nights. You must also stay in one of the hotels connected with the promotion and book three or five days ahead of travel, depending on the destination. Get in touch with the travel agency connected with this promotion to find the available hotels and train schedules. The price of the return train ticket will be deducted from the total cost of your package.

Italian bank holidays are excluded from the offer. Although the promotion will run until May 31, 2023, not all dates are available. Public holidays and the Christmas and Easter periods won’t be included. The cost of your hotel is not covered by the promotion, and first-class train tickets are also not included.

Trieste: Trieste, once the home of writer James Joyce, has many of Italy’s greatest attractions. You can visit renaissance palaces, Roman ruins, alpine landscapes, and incredible beaches. Enjoy the magnificent architecture and impressive museums and historical sites.

Annexed by the Austro-Hungarian empire, who made it their main port, Trieste was returned to Italy after World War I. As a result, it has a Viennese-style coffee vibe accompanied by Austrian (and Roman) architecture and historic sites.

In Trieste, travelers will be able to visit a Banksy exhibition at the Salone degli Incanti at a reduced rate from November through April 2023. They will also enjoy free access to other museums and cultural institutions.

Udine: Udine was part of the Venetian empire, followed by the Austrian empire. This elegant city boasts works by Caravaggio and Tiepolo in its castle-turned-museum, and a cathedral dating back to the 13th century. Udine remains the spiritual and gastronomic capital of Friuli.

Grado: Grado is located on an island and an adjacent peninsula of the Adriatic Sea between Venice and Trieste. Otherwise known as “Little Venice,” Grado was once mainly a fishing center. Today, it is a popular tourist destination, known commonly as L’Isola del Sole (“The Sunny Island”).

Lignano Sabbiadoro: Lignano Sabbiadoro (home to some of the best beaches in Italy) sits just east of Venice, along the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the Adriatic’s top beach resorts, complete with the 1969-designed Terrazza a Mare, a bubble-shaped pier that juts into the sea.