The Friulian Fortresses

3 days

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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.