In the introductory pages of his book "The White War", British historian Mark Thompson describes his amazement on his first visit to Friuli Venezia Giulia. Thanks to different cultures and influences over the centuries, this small region owns a wide array of artistic and historic wonders. A unique land where Roman latin elements mix with Longobard, Venetian, Austrian and Slavic aspects.
Within few kilometres we go from Roman Aquilea to Longobard Cividale del Friuli, or from the Venetian influences of Udine to the Asburgic ones of Trieste.
However, the varied Friuli Venezia Giulia region is united by one historical event, which affected the whole world: World War I.
On the Karst plateau, Italians and Austro-Hungarians fought twelve battles between 1915 and 1917, and hundreds of thousands of men lost their lives or their freedom in the rock-dug trenches or along the mountainsides of Prealpi Giulie. Less famous but equally tragic fights took place on the peaks of Julian and Carnic Alps, and during the retreat following the infamous defeat of Caporetto/Kobarid.
Places like the Ermada, San Michele, Calvario and Sabotino mounts soon became well-known names because of these sad events. Gorizia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, became a symbol for the public opinion when it was annexed to Italy in August 1916. Udine became instead "the war capital", being the city closest to the front.
Today, all of these events can be discovered thanks to the open-air museums and the WWI itineraries with interesting walks in breathtaking surroundings while living again the soldiers' life and experiences. Exactly like almost one century ago, we can walk alongside the trenches, observe the military buildings and see the battlefields. A fascinating trip in the past which continues with the visit of lots of monuments, memorials, ossuaries and war cemeteries in memory of all the victims of this huge conflict. Furtermore, a lot of cities and towns host interesting museums about WWI in their territory and military forts, built at the beginning of the XX century to protect the borders.
