Friuli Venezia Giulia, perhaps best-known for its regional capital of Trieste, would like to be better known as a tourism destination, and its handing out free rail fare to attract customers from other areas of the country.
Under the scheme, visitors are required to arrive by rail from anywhere in Italy outside the region, stay at least two nights in the region, and have return tickets starting in the province. The two nights must be paid for at a participating hotel, and visitors will also get a card entitling them to free public transport, museum entry and attraction discounts.
The region is in Italy’s northeast corner, on the Adriatic Sea and bordering both Austria and Slovenia. The promotion started last week, and runs through March 23. Trieste and Udine are the two main cities, but there are also a variety of seaside resorts.
It has been quite a few years since we went there, but Trieste is well worth seeing. Most people go as far as Venice and then turn back or head south.
That’s been me, exactly, although I’ve always meant to go on to Trieste, largely because of two movies I saw in my childhood: Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) and Diplomatic Courier (1952).
Just give me one enigmatic police detective in Trieste, and I’ll be there, free rail or no!