Complaining about overtourism is a thing now. This is annoying and lacks self-reflection because—duh—did you think being a tourist was only okay for you and not other people? I mean, I get it because within the past year I’ve been to both Florence and Barcelona and those are some well trodden destinations but even in those towns it was just specific areas that were packing in the crowds.
But hey, here’s a suggestion, if you’re really serious about getting outside the tourist bubble: the answer is Udine.
Udine is about 90 minutes by train from Venice in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the far northeast corner of Italy. The architecture has a strong Venetian influence (there are even some petite canals around) but what it doesn’t have in common with Venice is a gazillion tourists. In fact, I really didn’t see many tourists at all, outside of biking tour groups from Austria. People were speaking German to me and hey, I take it as a compliment that they thought I was the wife of a tan Austrian grampa with his package permanently showcased in biking spandex.
My plan was to use the town as a base to see several other small towns easily accessed by short train rides: this was a great idea…until I got to Udine and found out the local train was shut down for construction or something. The trains were replaced by some largely inscrutable bus substitutions—where did they stop? what was the schedule? who knows? But I more or less made it work, with a bit of cussing and extra snacks.
While Udine’s cathedral was interesting enough on the outside, the interior was one of those inevitably bland baroque renovations.
On the other hand, this sign in front of the cathedral of a family absolutely enraptured by the local catholic newspaper is pure sensationalism.
While I visited Udine’s many fine museums, I found my favorite site was the town itself. To me, a perfect town has a spacious pedestrian zone, piazzas with street musicians, lots of grocery stores and tan Austrian grampas in bike shorts a lively evening passeggiata.
Other than the nightly onslaught of mosquitoes (and the shut down train), I think Udine is pretty much perfect.
How I got to Udine: my flight to Milan was cancelled and United rerouted me to Venice where I got on a train to Udine.
Where I slept: Mercatovecchio. Price: €170 for a room with a kitchenette. Recommended: yes
Picnic at the Cathedral 
That looks ideal….even without the train.
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Not too far from the mountains, either.
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Yes, it rang a bell and I looked it up.
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Udine, Trento, Trieste, Bassano del Grappa (and Palmanova, Bolzano…) are great gems in the Nordest.
In a sense they deserve more, but on the other hand I loathe the day when Stanley Tucci will do a special on them and they’ll be invaded by Americans who think nothing of paying €9 for a coffee. I wish there was a way to keep them for the discerning art lover and bikepackers in Lycra.
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So maybe you know about this bike route, as a Lycra wearer yourself? They are coming from Austria and maybe going as far as Grado?
I did go to Palmanova and it was fascinating, though probably best seen from a hot air balloon or something (not that I would ever go in a hot air balloon).
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I’ve not done a ride through Udine, but did some in Slovenia and in the Dolomites and, yes, it’s a great part of the world for riding.
A hot air balloon is actually quite fun, I did it once and apart from the first 3 seconds of terror it was really great. Totally recommended!
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I was in Udine last weekend. It was our base for the area. The local train is still not running. We took a bus to Cividale del Friuli one day. A tour of Palmanova on our return trip to Trieste. I wish we had had more time to explore Udine.
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Your pictures of the Friuli area are so lovely! Were you on a tour or did you go on your own?
So people were just telling me “go in front of the train station for the bus” to get to Cividale so I waited there for a super long time but no bus. Correct instructions should have been, walk twenty meters down the street to the right of the station where there’s a yellow sign and wait for the bus there”. Anyway, I made it and boy did I see some stunning art.
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I am on a “living and learning” tour. We are spending 6 weeks in Trieste, taking Italian class in the mornings. Last weekend we went to Udine for 2 nights. We took a bus to Cividale because the small train is still not running. Our tour manager is Italian and she got us to the correct bus stop.
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I have a hard time believing now that this was once my life — but when I lived in Zagreb, we’d drive to Italy pretty often and regularly pass through that way on the motorway. So alas, never stopped there but certainly remember the signs. Udine. Somehow it didn’t feel like an Italian place-name.
I like that corner of Italy a lot. We’d make a coffee stop in Trieste pretty regularly. Newspapers on wooden racks. James Joyce hangouts, etc. Sigh.
You make me want to go back. And stay in Udine.
I’m glad to see you’re traveling. All well?
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Going from Udine to Trieste is interesting because they are so close together but the architecture shifts so sharply from Venetian to Habsburg. I’m fine, caught the record heat wave but no one wants to hear me whine about my sweaty bra…how are you?
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I’m fine too! Happy summer! Where to next? I need to plan a trip somewhere – have the freedom now. But where?? How do you decide?
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Oh my favorite time to travel is in the fall so I hope to go someplace in a few months. I generally have something I want to see or do (last fall it was going to see the Tres Riche Hours manuscript on view in Chantilly) and then I try to find some cheap tickets or book with points. And it has to be an okay time to leave work (unlike you retired people, lol). I bet you’ve been to Montenegro—there’s a train that goes from Belgrade in Serbia to Bar Montenegro and the view is supposed to be outstanding. I would like to do that, though not so many great options to fly easily and cheaply to Podgorica.
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You shame me. I always wanted to explore Udine and its surroundings. Maybe now I will make time for it
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Do it! I wished I’d stayed the night in Cividale del Friuli, too.
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Thank you.
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
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Thanks for stopping by!
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Wonderful city.
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Yes! Do you like Tiepolo?
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I must obviously return to Udine to study Tiepolo. I have seen the city twice, the first time during the summer of 1990. Many times I have passed by along the highway going from Villach down to the Venezia – Trieste highway.
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