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The UNESCO Triangle — Palmanova, Aquileia & Cividale

STARTING FROM · Palmanova · 1 day

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DURATION: 1 day
COUNTRY: Italy
REGION: Palmanova · Friuli-Venezia Giulia
CATEGORY: Cities & Culture

ABOUT THIS ITINERARY

Friuli’s three UNESCO sites sit within 30 km of each other and make the perfect triangle day: Roman Aquileia with its mosaic basilica in the morning, the star fortress of Palmanova for lunch inside the walls, and Lombard Cividale for the Tempietto’s golden saints in the late afternoon — the marathon route, run on a Sunday in March.

OVERVIEW

The route at a glance

The loop runs from the Roman plain up into the hills: Aquileia first (mosaics, forum, port), Palmanova second (galleries, piazza, rampart lunch), Cividale third (Tempietto, bridge, museums) — with quiet roads and the Alpe Adria cycle option between.

THE SCHEDULE

Day by day

Day 1

Three heritage sites in one loop

Morning
Aquileia — basilica mosaics, forum and river port
2.5–3 hours
The 760 m² early-Christian mosaic floor, the forum colonnades and the excavated Roman quay — the patriarchal capital of the plain.
Midday
Palmanova — the star fortress
2–3 hours
Enter by a monumental gate, take the countermine galleries and Donato bastion, and lunch on the hexagonal Piazza Grande.
Afternoon
Cividale — Tempietto, museums and the Devil’s Bridge
3 hours
The Lombard chapel’s golden stuccoes, Ratchis’s altar, and the emerald gorge under the bridge at dusk.
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MAP & LOCATION

The UNESCO Triangle — Palmanova, Aquileia & Cividale

The UNESCO Triangle — Palmanova, Aquileia & Cividale, Palmanova, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

45.9026, 13.3063

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The Lagoon to the Star — Grado, Aquileia & Palmanova by bike

A two-day cycling route down the Alpe Adria corridor: Grado’s beaches and lagoon, Aquileia’s Roman ruins, and the star fortress of Palmanova — flat, signposted and traffic-free almost throughout.

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FOOD & DRINK