Albergo Diffuso - Cjasa da Roberto

One of the best parts about holidaying in Italy is trying its cuisine in between bouts of dashing around museums, taking in the landscapes, admiring the buildings and artworks, learning about the history, shopping the boutiques, wandering the markets and venturing through its beautiful streets. Every single town and region has its unique dishes to try and it would take several lifetimes just to put a dent in the long list of delicious dishes. In saying that, we suggest you persevere and try and make even a little dent in that list. Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region, in particular, with an interesting cuisine, inspired by neighbouring nations, its mountainous terrain and harsh winters. Once you've found the best possible vacation rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia, we suggest that you try pitina, a traditional cold cut from the region.

The pretty town of Pordenone is the main comune of the province of Pordenone in the northeastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Settlements have dotted the surrounding area since the time of the Romans but the town of Pordenone itself was not actually established until during the Middle Ages, when it was founded as a port town on the Noncello river. In fact, the town's very name comes from the Latin Portus Naonis, meaning “port on the Noncello River”.

Like the rest of Italy, the town passed through plenty of different hands and rules throughout the ages and by the 13th century, it came into the possession of the Habsburg family. It flourished over the next few decades and gained city status in 1314. In the 16th century, it came under the rule of the Republic of Venice and a new port was built in town. Annexed to Italy in 1866, the town further flourished under industrialisation and though the failure of the cotton sector threatened the town's prosperity in the early 20th century, the raising of local firm Zanussi to the status of a world giant of household appliances after WWII helped stabilise the economic situation. In 1968, the city became the capital of the province of the same name.

In the last post, we discussed the charming and pretty town of Pordenone and its many architectural gems. However, that isn't all there is to the town. In fact, it has a lot to offer a visitor. In addition to everything else, Pordenone is a cultural hub that plays host to many different events throughout the year. One of these is the book festival Pordenone Legge, which has been taking place for over a decade and sees the town taken over by book stalls, interviews with both Italian and international writers, and lectures by journalists and scholars for a week each September.

Pordenone has also been the primary host to the Giornate del Cinema Muto, a festival dedicated to silent film, since 1981. Taking place each October, the festival was the first, largest and most important international festival dedicated to silent film. Named as one of the top 50 unmissable film festivals in the world according to Variety, it is a unique experience that any movie lovers visiting the city will enjoy. Additionally, the FMK International Short Film Festival takes place in the town on an annual basis, as well.

The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park was created in 1990, but steps towards its creation actually began all the way back in the 1960s. Its holdings are impressive with over 32,000 hectares being protected by the National Park.

The park takes in territories from fifteen different municipalities, in the Val Belluna, north of the centre of the Piave Valley.

It is the most visited national park in all of Italy and with good reason.

This week, we've been talking about the incredible holiday destination that is the region of Veneto. Whether you are looking to spend time in the extraordinary and world-famous capital of Venice or the romance capital of Verona, go hiking or skiing in the Dolomites or discover the many lesser-known charming towns and villages around the region, it is an ideal location. We have plenty of amazing vacation rentals in Veneto but here are some more of our favourites of just a selection of the best of the best among them:

2. Casabrando

This imposing 15th century property is still in the position of the Conti Brandolini d'Adda and maintains the family's armature, statues and the building's overall historic character.

Verona in Veneto in the north-east of Italy, is one of the most charming towns in the country, renowned for its beauty, ties to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and its summer opera season. A short distance from Lake Garda and full of shops and restaurants and with a historic medieval town centre, it is absolutely packed full of things to see and do. The town has Roman origins and was an important part of the empire and the remains of the period dot the landscape with the biggest impact being made by the Arena. Now the Arena houses the operas each summer that the town has become known for, drawing crowds of up to 14,000 each year from all over the world.