Friuli

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Friuli (Furlan: Friûl (help·info), German: Friaul, Slovenian: Furlanija) is an area in northeast Italy, comprising the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The capital of Friuli is the city of Udine.

Historical Friuli is the land de Livence al Timâf, which means from the Livenza river in the west to the Timavo river in the east. Today these territories are divided between Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Sights
4 Regional languages and dialects
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Friuli borders Venezia Giulia (with which it forms the autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and the Italian region Veneto to the west, the republic of Austria to the north and the republic of Slovenia.

Image:MappaFriuli.gif

Friuli is situated between the Alps to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the south. Most of the area is flat and planar including a strip of the coast. Friuli has warm summers and mild winters. It is part of Southern European Italy but considered by its inhabitants as part of Central Europe.

[edit] History

In ancient times Friuli was inhabited by Celt tribes, being colonized by the Romans starting from the 2nd century BC. The main influence in the area was that of Aquileia, a fluvial port which counted up to 200,000 inhabitants and was an important hub, as well as the capital of the Venetia et Histria region of the Empire. In the mainland, cities like Forum Julii (Cividale del Friuli and Iulium Carnicum (Zuglio) were founded in Julius Caesar's times to expand Roman colonization; the former, incidentally, gave its name to entire historical region.

The decline of Friuli began in the mid-2nd century AD, as it suffered the increasing number of invasion from barbaric tribes. In the 5th century Aquileia was sacked and severely damaged by Attila's Hun army: although it never recovered the previous economical importance, it mantained its status of capital thanks to the presence of the Patriarch, who was one of the most important Catholic authority of the Early Middle Ages, and who later extended his control to the whole Friuli, and even further.

In the 5th and 6th century the political capital was moved to the more defendable Cividale. It was the first important city conquered by the Lombards in their invasion of Italy. Friuli became a semi-independent duchy who flourished until the 8th century. After the annexion of the Lombard Kingdom by Charlemagne, Friuli became part of the Frankish Empire. The city of Forum Julii became Civitas Austriae (Eastern City).

The Patriarch of Aquileia gradually extended his political authority to the whole Friuli, receiving in 1077 the ducal title by Emperor Henry IV. The Patriarchate included for several time Trieste, Istria, Carinthia, Styria and Cadore, developing into one of the largest Italian states of the time. Contrasts and religious disputes with the growing power of the Republic of Venice marked the history of the area until the 15th century. In the mainland, Cividale was replaced by the city of Udine, who had turned itself into an independent seignory and started to challenge the power of Aquileia itself, becoming later the seat of the Patriarch.

In 1420 the region was incorporated entirely within the Republic of Venice (Serenissima). In 1516, the eastern part became a province of the Austrian empire, while the western part remained Venetian (including the actual capital Udine) until 1797. In 1866, The latter part was then incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy together with the region Venetia.

In 1921, after World War I, the whole region of Friuli became part of Italy but strong ties with Austria still remain today. To some extent Friuli keeps stronger ties with other regions of Mitteleuropa (Central Europe) than it does with Italy.

This identity is the reason for the autonomous status of the region and a policy of promoting the region's own customs and traditions (including promotion of the language).

April 3 is a Friulian regional holiday in honor of April 3, 1077, the date of birth of the first independent Friulian state in history.

[edit] Sights

Friuli offers the widest choice of natural environments, some of which are not well known and still uncontaminated. The geographical positioning of Friuli, gently lying between the Alpi Carniche and the Adriatic Sea, offers all the possible environmental nuances, going from the snow-covered mountains, to the lush green valleys at the foot of the mountains, to the fertile hilly areas, down to the tidily cultivated and flourishing plains to finally reach the fine sandy and golden beaches, which are the cleanest beaches looking onto the high Adriatic sea.

Cities like Cividale, Udine and Aquileia, offer a wide array of historical places of interests.

[edit] Regional languages and dialects

While standard Italian is the official language of the region, several other regional languages and dialects are spoken in the province. Friulian is spoken in Udine and neighboring areas, Venetian is spoken in the southeast and along the Adriatic coast and Slovenian is spoken in the border regions. Historically, German was also spoken in some areas in the northeast of the province, but today German-speaking communities exist only in a couple of villages in Carnia.