The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Italy:
The Northeast
Many travelers to northern Italy aren't aware that the country stretches east and north of Venice. Perhaps that's because the provinces of Trentino-Alto Adige (north of the Veneto) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (northeast of Venice) are the least "Italian" regions; before the 20th century, neither even belonged to Italy. Trentino-Alto Adige was part of Austria's South Tyrol region for centuries, and its inhabitants generally prefer German to Italian and schnitzel to pasta. Many of the residents of Trieste, the main city in Venezia Giulia, are Slavic in origin, some of them recent refugees from the former Yugoslavia. Besides sharing a schizoid cultural identity, both regions are renowned for their natural beauty. The jagged limestone peaks of the Dolomites simply cry out to be climbed, while the white cliffs overlooking the deep blue Adriatic near Trieste inspired poet Rainier Maria Rilke to write his passionate Duino Elegies.
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