1° Day: Aquileia – Grado
Visit of Aquileia, called “the second Rome” for its
role played in the Antiquity and for the richness of
archeological records. It’s famous for its archeological and medieval
excavations. Notable importance has the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta,
with its precious mosaics that cover the entire floor, as the cradle of
Christianity in Italy. The Crypt of the
Excavations is a historical wealth: the remains and the mosaics that decorate
it date back to four different eras. Next to it stands the Bell Tower, which is
70 meters high, erected in 1031 on the model of the
Lighthouse of Alexandria. La via Sacra, beautiful cypress avenue along the main
Roman sites and mosaics: it starts from the back of the Basilica on the square
and reaches the river port on Natissa.
Curiosity: a stroll along the ancient river port allows you to
understand the brilliance of the Romans: there are two types of stone docks,
based on the size of the ships that where arriving here, and two types of
mooring: one vertical and other horizontal, to be used alternatively according
to the tide.
Depart for Grado. Dinner and overnight.
2° Day: Grotta del
Gigante – Redipuglia
The Grotta Gigante, a fantastic excursion with a
guided tour of one of the 1700 karsts caves. Archeological finds near the
current touristic exit of the Grotta Gigante testify to the occasional human
frequency starting from the Neolith (VIII Millennium B.C) until the modern age.
Curiosity: The
Grotta Gigante is one huge dome-shaped cave almost 100 m. high, 168 m. long,
and 76 m. wide. Its volume is 365,000 cubic meters. During the visit you are
traversing 850m. and you go down to 100 m. deep. The internal temperature is
constantly at 11° and the humidity is 96%. Due to its proportions it was enrolled
in 1995 in the Guinness Book of Records as “The world's largest show cave”.
After
the lunch visit of Redipuglia. The Memorial of Redipuglia is the largest and
most majestic Italian War Memorial dedicated to the killed in World War I. This
work is also known as the Memorial “of the One Hundred Thousand” housing the
remains of 100.187 soldiers killed in the surroundings. The structure is
composed of three levels and symbolically represents the army that descends
from the sky at the helm of its commander in order to traverse Via Eroica. At
the top, three crosses recall the image of Mount Golgotha and the crucifixion
of Christ.
Return
in the evening for dinner and overnight.
3° Day: Palmanova
Morning to spend in
Palmanova also known as “city fortress”, in 1960 the President of the Republic decreed
it “National Monument”. “With its perfect nine-pointed star shaped plant, the
monumental entrance doors and the three circles of fortification from the 16th,
17th and 19th century, Palmanova is at the same time an
ideal Renaissance city model and an example of military architecture capable of
showing the visitor the technical development of the science of fortifications
through the modern age.