Explore Gorizia, the Nice of the Austro-Hungarian empire

Guests will be met at the airport and transferred to Gorizia, the main town in the Collio region. There you will check in to your overnight accommodation, the Hotel Entourage Palazzo Strassoldo. Charles 10th, the last king of France, stayed at this hotel in 1836 with his entire court. Mary Thérèse Charlotte, the duchess of Angoulême, also called Madame Royale, lived in a room on the first floor between the square and the garden.

This noble mansion exudes an atmosphere of sophisticated tranquillity. The main characteristic consists of a small central attic with three windows on each side. Two pilaster strips support a gable in which the family’s coat of arms is set. The palace contains 15 rooms, which can be reached through the square-shaped four flights of sixteenth century staircase on the left side of the entrance.

After having checked in at the Palazzo Strassoldo, guests can relax with a glass of wine or explore the old town along the recommended itinerary.

This will be followed by a gourmet dinner in a restaurant in the charming Piazza S. Antonio in a located in the historical centre of Gorizia. The Piazza is bordered by the castle and the porches of a 15th century Franciscan cloister.

Overnight stay.

Gorizia Castle, St. Ignazio church, Palazzo Coronini Cronberg, Collio wines taste – (Day 2)

After breakfast, guests will meet their guide in the morning and explore the Gorizia Castle and its ‘borgo’ dating from the 11th century. Among those who worked on the castle’s defence structures was Edmond Halley, who discovered the famous comet which bears his name. They can then stroll through the via Rastello with its “vecchie botteghe”, and visit the Duomo cathedral first referenced in writing in 1342. Finally reaching the magnificent Piazza Vittoria they will visit the St. Ignazio church with its wonderful decorative interior made of marble, and carved with inlaid wooden furnishings that date back to the 17th century. The church also has an altar designed in 1716 by the Venetian sculptor Lazzarini, and an 18th century fresco painted by Tausch on the pulpit entitled the “Glory of St. Ignatius”.

Lunch break

After lunch, guests will have the special opportunity to visit to the Palazzo Coronini Cronberg. It currently houses the Homonymous foundation, established by its last owner, Count Guglielmo Coronini Cronberg (1905-1990). The guide will take guests through the fifteen rooms of this historic building dating back to the end of the sixteenth century. You will be taken back in time and see the ancient room where, in 1836, the last King of France Charles X of Bourbon stayed and died.

You’ll experience the warm and charming atmosphere of the rooms with sixteenth-century and seventeenth-century furnishings on the ground floor, the nineteenth-century decor on the main floor, the sumptuous eighteenth-century sitting rooms and the wonderful five-hectare English-style park surrounding the villa.

After the visit, guests will enjoy the and taste a few varieties of Collio wines.

Guests will continue experience the lifestyle of the Count thanks to a wonderful meal, the ‘Count Coronini dinner’, especially organised at a charming local restaurant near to the hotel.

Overnight stay.

San Floriano del Collio, Strada del Vino (the wine road), Cormons – (Day 3)

Breakfast.

After checkout, guests will be taken towards San Floriano del Collio for a unique opportunity to admire the Collio hills from a special viewpoint.

Driving along the ‘Strada del Vino’ (the wine road) through the heart of the Collio towards Cormons. Guests will be welcomed at the Enoteca Consorzio Collio and then guided to a local winemaker to discover the secrets, tradition and history of the Collio wines. Wine tasting and local products from the Friulian Farmer traditions will be offered.

Guests will have the opportunity to purchase some of the Collio wines at the Enoteca.

Transfer to the airport.