The territory surrounding the Hotel Ristorante alPonte is distinguished by a great variety of landscapes, from the Collio hills to the sea with the lagoon of Grado and Marano, as far as the Gulf of Trieste.
Internationally known centres of historic and artistic importance such as Aquileia, Palmanova or the old Forum Iulii, now Cividale del Friuli, are only some of the pearls of Friuli Venezia Giulia that are only a few minutes’ drive from the Hotel Ristorante alPonte; even the town of Gradisca d’Isonzo is a little gem with countless surprises in store.
Gradisca D’Isonzo
Trieste
Gorizia
Border town, this is the atmosphere in every corner of Gorizia. Here just really take a step to move from Italy to Slovenia.
Gorizia over the centuries has been influenced by various cultures of Europe, it was a true crossroads of peoples and traditions and it still bears the traces.
Walking through the city one can admire medieval architecture, baroque and nineteenth century, but the view is suddenly caught by the castle that dominates the city.
The Castle of Gorizia, dating back to the eleventh century, stands on a hill with a spectacular view of the city and surrounding landscape. Over the centuries it housed several masters and underwent several modifications to the original plan, also changing for different purposes. To date, the last reconstruction, which took place following the bombing of World War I, gives the structure a medieval aspect.
The city lies on the banks of a river, and is surrounded by a magnificent landscape. Near the river winds Park Feather, ideal place for trekking lovers or those who want to practice kayaking and canoeing. But there also were green spaces in the city center, many are in fact the public gardens and parks that are walking through the streets of downtown.
Culture lovers can visit the many museums, churches and buildings of the city, such as Palazzo Lantieri, the Fondazione Palazzo Coronini Cronberg, the Cathedral, the Synagogue, the Tower Palace or Palazzo Attems Petzenstein. In order to really get the city of Gorizia, you can not give to a stop in some restaurant or wine shop where you can taste the famous local wines and tasty local products such as honey, mushrooms, oil, and gibanica. The kitchen Gorizia is also the perfect synthesis of the traditional Friulian, Slovenian and Austrian.
Udine
Il Carso Goriziano e il Fronte della Prima Guerra Mondiale
The Italian front, affected by the Great War, extending for about 650 km and it was on the Isonzo who fought the toughest battles and bloody: eleven in the summer of 1915 to the summer of 1917.
In just the battles mentioned, Italy lost about 627,500 men in dead, wounded, missing and prisoners, the Austro-Hungarians about 489,500.
The two armies faced each other along a front stretching from the Bovec basin Sabotino the mountain that overlooks the hills in front of Gorizia; Isonzo flows between the two steep mountain slopes, forming an almost impassable obstacle. Here Italian and Austro-Hungarians fought for months, protected by entrenched lines that they had to adapt to the orography and the characteristics of the battlefield.
The Austro-Hungarian therefore opposed to Italian troops on a line almost always dominant passed through places now famous for fans and scholars of the period: Mount Rombon, Black Mountain, Tolmin, Saint Lucia, Saint Mary, Kuk mountain, Mount Vodice , Monte Santo, Oslavia, Podgora, Monte San Michele, San Martino del Carso, Mount Sei Busi, Doberdo Debeli mountain and hill Cosich.
The Italian soldiers occupied Gradisca, and Monfalcone, is first attested in the trenches on the Karst Edge, a short distance from the Austro-Hungarian positions. The starting positions of the two armies dissanguarono with attacks and counterattacks which often led to the conquest of a few meters or new positions of little strategic importance.
Shrine of Redipuglia is the largest and most impressive among Italian military cemeteries. There are collected and stored the bodies of fallen approximately 100,000, of which 40,000 and 60,000 known unknown. It was officially opened by Benito Mussolini September 18, 1938. The monumental work is presented as a grand and ordered military deployment headed by his commanders. At the base of the stairs is the tomb of the Duke of Aosta, commander of the Third Army, flanked by those of his generals.
Behind these stand 22 steps to contain the bodies of the fallen known. Large step higher on the sides of the votive chapel, are the remains of the fallen unknown.
In front of the shrine, there is the St. Elias hill that was once the Cemetery of the Thirty Invitti of the Third Army, where the will of the Duke of Aosta, after the war, were entombed the remains of 30,000 fallen soldiers on the front of the Karst and Isonzo. Following the demise of the cemetery and the transfer of remains in the current one, has now become Sant’Elia Hill Memorial Park. Right next to the hill is the Museum of the Great War, in which there are important examples of the events that occurred here.
The Austro-Hungarian Fogliano Cemetery is located about one kilometer from Shrine Redipuglia and collect the bodies of 14,550 soldiers from various war cemeteries discharged. Campo Santo in an alley, surrounded by tall cypress trees, leads to the large common grave where lie 7,000 soldiers unknown.
Just behind the shrine we find the famous Mount Sei Busi, scene of fierce battles where you can still visit, kept in good condition, the so-called “trench” Italian, one of the many works that are present to witness the hard life of a soldier.
The Monte San Michele is one of the highest mountains of the karst area of Gorizia, from this mountain Hungarian soldiers of the Division “Honved” controlled the Italian trenches below. After the capture of Gorizia and the shifting of the Austrian front, the caves were expanded and adapted to the needs of the Italian Army artillery here lined up several pieces of 149 mm.
At what today is called the “Area of Battles”, where you can see both Italian and Austrian entrenched lines, there is a trench more difficult to occupy for the Italian troops, the branches of the Trench, located a short distance from Cippo Corridoni and characterized by an underground walkway that connects with the nearby Dolina dei Bersaglieri, called Dolina dei Cinquecento, which is a site of great historical interest because in it there are some remains of the ruins of masonry structures of what was a dressing advanced to the front line of San Martino.
Theme Park of the Great War can be accessed fortified sites valued by the Municipality of Monfalcone on the hills behind the town. Along the three tracks arranged, you can visit the many testimonies of the great battles that took place here.
The Museum of the Great War of Gorizia in the Castle of the city consists of 9 rooms created especially with regard to the reconstruction of life in the trenches, with photographic evidence of the city of Gorizia and the daily life of soldiers and civilians.
Palmanova e Aquileia
Town fortress built by the Venetians in 1593, is called the star-shaped city for its polygonal star with 9 points. Since 1960, a national monument.