POSTCARDS FROM UDINE

Off the radar in northeastern Italy, the provincial city is rich with la dolce vita.

- SIMON BAJADA

BETWEEN THE CARNIC ALPS AND THE ADRIATIC Sea, bordering Slovenia and Austria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of Italy's lesser-recognised regions. It's better known city Trieste is the modern-day capital but the historical capital, Udine, still has its heart.

A little more Slovenian, and more German (thanks to lingering remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), locals are known to be more stoic than other Italians, famously putting the "Udine" in "solitudine". With stony streets and a cooler, wet climate, the atmosphere here is tranquil and wintery. It couldn't be further from busy Venice, which at just 100 kilometres to the south is the best access point.

Start your Udine adventure with a stroll up the hilltop to Udine Castle, which houses several museums and an art gallery featuring works by Tiepolo and Caravaggio. Here you can take in views of the city, including its grand central Piazza della Libertà and the surrounding mountains. Quaint small Roman towns such as Cividale del Friuli are dotted throughout this area, many of which are pleasantly void of excess tourism.

But travellers who find themselves in Udine, usually have cuisine on the brain. The food culture here blends Italian cuisine with techniques and ingredients from its northern neighbours, calling on fiercely local produce. Montasio cheese, from the Alpine plains at 1500 metres, and Prosciutto di San Daniele, which uses sea salt from the nearby Adriatic, are prime examples. There's also the famed radicchio, the Rosa di Gorizia, harvested in winter from nearby floodplains.