Gradisca d’Isonzo is a noble city which, beginning in the 16th century, assumed a key role in the defensive system set up by the Republic of Venice against the Turkish invasions.
The Serenissima in fact fortified it powerfully, so much so that the historic center like it was enclosed in 1479 by a mighty city wall. The remarkable architectural heritage of Gradisca grew between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the transformation into the city of Principesca County of Gradisca was now underway. The four centuries of Habsburg influence have left a strong historical imprint, which today combines with a modern city filled with many restaurants and bars where visitors can taste the best wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, especially Isonzo del Friuli DOC wine.
Gastronomic Delicacies of the Territory
Between the Isonzo river and the Judrio rive lies the Collio DOC area, which represents one of the most prized areas for wine production in Italy. The quality of the wines produced is thanks to a perfect microclimate for to grow wine due to the mild climate, the slopes and the proximity to the sea. All this allows the cultivation of nearly two thousand hectares of specialized hillside vineyards that produce excellent quality wines such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Friulano, Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Collio Bianco
The area is also known for other delicacies such as the Cormòns ham and the red chicory “Rosa di Gorizia”. Moreover, thanks above all to the meeting between the culinary traditions of Austrian, Friulian and Slovenian cuisine, we find dishes such as goulash, blecs, zlikrof (a kind of stuffed ravioli), bread dumplings, kipfel ( fried dough similar to gnocchi), repa garba and other typical sweets such as putizza, pinza, strudel, krapfen and palacinke (an omelette that can be sweet or savory). These local products can be found in the restaurants of the province as well as at village festivals that animate the landscape from May in September.
