The Triestini are brave people: they sunbathe from February to the last sunburst in November! And they love to enjoy life, tasting one of the 40 different coffee cups or venturing into the Karst for biking, trekking, climbing or just looking for the popular "osmizas", private houses where you can taste local food and wine (karstic prosciutto, cheese and of course wine).

London, Paris, Berlin and Udine. Yes, Udine. And let’s not forget about Grado, Salice and Trieste, most definitely Trieste. This is Friuli Venezia Gulia region of Italy, spread across the far northeastern corner of the nation. I first read about this stunning region of diverse landscapes, languages and cultures over 15 years ago and swore that someday I would see it for myself. This June I finally did.