The offer runs until May 2023
In efforts to promote sustainable tourism, Friuli-Venezia Giulia – a region located in the far northeast of the country that borders Austria and Slovenia – is paying tourists to visit its lands. The new tourism scheme, launched on October 7 by the local tourism board, runs until May 31, 2023 and will reimburse the train fare for anyone who arrives in the cities of Trieste, Udine, Lignano and Grado.
In order to take advantage of this incentive, visitors must travel on the state-run Trenitalia trains or the high-speed Frecce lines and book a package that includes a minimum two-night stay at a hotel that is participating in the initiative. The list of hotels and guest houses participating can be found on the local tourism website.
Train tickets and accommodation will need to be booked on the website. After booking, the cost of the train ticket will be subtracted from the total as a discount. (The cost of accommodation and the price of first-class train tickets are not included in the offer.) In addition to free transportation into the region, visitors will receive a tourism card that provides free public transport in and around the city they travel to and free or discounted admission to museums, historical sites, beaches, guided tours, amusement parks and swimming pools.
The region, famous for being the birthplace of grappa and tiramisu, is one of the country’s least visited areas despite being known for its ski and coastal resorts. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is also known for its city called Grado, otherwise known as “Little Venice” due to its weaving path of canals. Trieste, the region’s capital, was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries and Italian, Austrian and Slovenian influences are evident in its architecture and layout.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy, currently pursuing her master's in journalism at New York University (NYU). In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, and The Christian Science Monitor. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.