The Stay At Home Traveller
One week away.
Do you like to get away and explore things? Experience something new in your day to day environment? This is a great excercise for just that. The Experiment: Go away to a different town or city each day for a week. Results: Although I had a fairly full clinical schedule this week I took time to go away to a different place every day and ended up with a good feeling from the week. It was nice to get away to different places and explore nooks and cranies that I hadn't in small town around my area. Usually I would go and walk for about 15-20 min around the town and go explore things that caught my fancy. When I came to an intersection I would walk whichever way seemed more interesting. Some days my excursions got sidetracked, like when I found an old monastery outside of one of the villages and ended up spending half an hour reading about the history and thinking about what it must have been like to live in this monastery in mideival times when it was built. Overall this was an experiment I really enjoyed because I've always been a person with a lot of curiosity and I was able to take these "mini-trips" and explore a new area that I hadn't seen before. Day 1 Dardago One of the Lovely towns in the friuli area. In the Comune of Budoia and right on the side of the mountain. 
Day 2 Santa Lucia
Another town that is in the Comune of Budoia. Lovely old historical center and a nice church walking distance away from the old town. 
Day 3 Pordenone
Pordenone is the main city of the Pordenone province in Northern Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. Pordenone was created in the High Middle Ages as a river port on the Noncello, with the name Portus Naonis. It's a lovely town for a walk in and on Saturday mornings they hold the weekly market. One of my favorite strolls is along the main street with the municipal palace and main church. 
Day 4 Portogruaro A lovely river town in the Veneto Region. The main parts of the old town are around the river and I often visit my antique dealer friend here. The town hall, which is a gothic building from the XIII century is also a very welcoming sight. It's wonderful to have an aperitivo in the piazza overlooking the town hall and close to the water. 
Day 5 Udine
Udine is the current capital of Friuli. Although smaller in size than Friuli's other main city, Trieste, it still remains the regions administrative and political headquarters. The middle of town is lovely to stroll around in with it's main castle up on a hill. The main square with the Loggia di San Giovanni and Torre del Orologgio (pictured here) also are worth seeing. Saturdays they have a larger market with fresh fish caught the same day from the adriatic. Make sure and try some of the different types of wines here. It has a population of about 100.000 people. 
Day 6 S. Quirino
San Quirino is a small town in the province of Pordenone. It has a very nice municipal building and attached parks to walk around in. Other than the nice town hall and a fairly nice square there is nothing else noteworthy here. 
Day 7 Polcenigo
Polcenigo is an enchanting small town in the province of Pordenone. It has very picturesque buildings and is built around a main river. The old streets are well worn and there are many small villas and palaces that peek out from behind stone walls. Lovely walks here that are very picturesque. Very nice town if a bit small. Don't miss taking a stroll to the grotto in Gorgazzo, right across the road from the town. |
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