Jesolo to Udine

The ride from Jesolo to Udine was our first big one of the trip and we didn’t find it easy but we conquered it anyway. 87 km with the full paniers in 29 degree weather. Fortunately it was relatively flat but unfortunately much of the ride was on the highway so not as relaxing and we were less able to enjoy the surroundings. We were spoiled last year in France riding predominantly on cycle paths.

Udine (pronounced oodinay, emphasis on the oo) is the second largest city of the Fruili region of Italy, located up against the Italian alps. It reminds me of Torino with the mountains just outside of the city. We were quite tired after our ride yesterday and enjoyed a wee bit of a sleep in to recover but then headed into the old centre to explore.

Udine isn’t a large city and the historic centre is very compact with most sights very close together, so nice of those ancient planners to think of our needs as tourists. In the central square, Piazza di Libertà there are 2 beautiful old loggia or open air structures in Baroque and Venetian styles as well as a tower clock complete with bell ringers. Above this is the Udine castello where museums and an art gallery showcase the history and culture of Udine. The section about the Friulian aspect of the reunification of Italy was unfortunately completely in Italian so our understanding was limited but there were many interesting artifacts. The art gallery was well done with many subtitled videos and English explanations. The gallery featured artists from this area of Italy going back to the 14th century. One who is particularly famous here is Giambattista Tiepolo who moved here from Venice in the early 18th century and remained for the rest of his life resulting in many churches and palaces in Udine with his works. Another piazza close by is the Piazza Matteotti where we sat and enjoyed a coffee. This is a notable piazza with beautifully restored old buildings/facades, a wonderful place to sit and do some people watching. I think this piazza is right up there on our list of memorable piazza’s with Sienna and Lucca.

On our second day here we continued with finding more of Tiepolo’s art work in various cathedrals, not too hard, they really liked the guy and his son who often helped his papa. The works are beautiful for sure. We also learned a bit about another famous Udiner? Tina Modotti who was a photographer born here in the late 19th century, moved to the US and then to Mexico where she photographed the people and became involved politically as an activist for social change along with other artists such as Frida Kahlo and Rivera Diego. Unfortunately the Modotti gallery here was temporarily closed so we weren’t able to actually see her work but discovered an interesting story.

Each of the 3 evenings we spent here it poured rain in the evening as we were returning to the hotel. The other excellent feature in the old city is the many porticoes to walk under to get out of the sun and the rain which we definitely put to good use. Again such smart city planners and they are beautiful to boot.

The last evening we ate at a charming Osteria right beside a canal and decided to eat outside to enjoy the ambiance. However it did again start to rain quite violently so made for an interesting dining experience.

Tags: 2023, Adriatic North