This is a real find: a modern apartment with well appointed kitchen, living room entrance area with TV and sofa, 4 piece bathroom with washing machine and a choice of either 1 or 2 bedrooms; well tested air conditioning (in July!); a beautiful flowered private garden in a quiet residential area, just a few minutes south of the train station; in Udine, a small but very interesting city, not yet discovered by the hordes of tourists but offering interesting architecture, history, museums, churches, piazzas, restaurants and bars and also close to shopping centre and large grocery stores.
But best of all are the hosts Marina and children, who spoke English to my wife, and Agostino who spoke Italian and Furlan to me. They were wonderfully helpful and welcoming and made us feel at home. We stayed here for 6 nights but would have stayed much longer if it had been available.
Udine is a great destination, whether you want to explore this corner of Italy at the confluence of 3 cultures or are using it as a base to visit the land of your parents and grand-parents. It was less than an hour's drive to the very interesting towns of Palmanova, Aquileia, Spilimbergo, Cividale, Cormons and Gorizia and to the wine region stretching from Tarcento to Cividale to Gorizia, but you will find wineries elsewhere as well. Also close were the beaches of Grado and Lignano. Udine was well situated for day trips (by train) to Venice or by car to Pordenone, Trieste, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Piran (Slovenian coast) or north into the Alps to Tarvisio and Villach (Austria) or to Tolmezzo and Pieve di Cadore.
All in all it was a great holiday. Grazie E.L.M.Agos e mandi!
