Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of Northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians who traditionally spoke the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia, i.e. the administrative provinces of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia, excluding Trieste.
Names
The name originates from the ancient Roman town of ("Julius' Forum"), now Cividale del Friuli.
Geography
Friuli is bordered on the west by the Veneto region with the border running along the Livenza river, on the north by the crest of the Carnic Alps between Carnia and Austrian Carinthia, on the east by the Julian Alps, the border with Slovenia and the Timavo river, and on the south by the Adriatic Sea. The adjacent Slovene parts of the Soča/Isonzo valley from Gorizia/Nova Gorica up to Triglav and the Vipava Valley, forming the Goriška region, may also be considered part of historic Friuli.
The mountainous northern part of the region belongs to the Southern Limestone Alps. From west to east, the region's highest peaks are, in the Carnic Prealps (Dolomiti Friulane)—the Cima dei Preti, , Duranno , and Cridola ; in the Carnic Alps—Peralba , Monte Bìvera and Coglians ; in the Julian Alps, the Jôf Fuârt , the Jôf di Montasio , Mangart , and Canin , which dominates the plain.
Rivers flowing southwards from the mountains are numerous. The Friulian mountains surround the course of the Tagliamento river, which, at the latitude of Gemona del Friuli first crosses the hills that occupy the center of the Friuli, then flows into a large flood plain. This plain is commonly divided into the High Friulian plain and the Low Friulian plain (Bassa Friulana), whose boundary is the Napoleonic road that connects the cities of Codroipo and Palmanova. To the south of this road is the risorgive zone, where water resurfaces from underground waterways in spring-fed pools throughout the area. South of the plains lie the lagoons of Marano and Grado, which are nature reserves. Other important rivers include the Torre, Natisone, Stella, Isonzo/Soča, and Ausa.
Friuli covers an area of , subdivided among the provinces of Udine , Pordenone and Gorizia . The historical capital and most important city is Udine, which was also the capital of the medieval Patria del Friuli. Other important towns are Pordenone, Gorizia/Nova Gorica, Sacile, Codroipo, Cervignano del Friuli, Cividale del Friuli, Gemona del Friuli, Monfalcone, and Tolmezzo.
Climate
The climate of the Friulian plain is humid sub-Mediterranean. The climate in this area is suitable for growing white wine grapes, and 2.5% of wine produced in Italy comes from this part of the region. The hills, however, have a continental climate, and the mountainous regions have an alpine climate. On the coast the mean annual temperature is , while in the inner plains, the average is lowered to ; Udine , Pordenone , Gorizia ). Further north, in Tolmezzo, the average temperature is approximately . The lowest values are recorded in the Alps: at Passo di Monte Croce Carnico (at ) and between in Val Canale, which is situated above sea level. In the coldest month, January, temperatures vary between approximately in Monfalcone and nearly in Passo di Monte Croce Carnico, with intermediate temperatures of in Udine and in Valcanale. Gorizia, a short distance from Udine, enjoys a particularly milder micro-climate with its approximate annual average of . In the warmest month, July, the temperatures range between along the coast and plains and between in Val Canale.
Precipitation in Friuli is relatively abundant; the distribution of rainfall varies a great deal during the course of the year. Minimum values in the southern part generally fall between (Gorizia over and Udine over ), whereas the alpine area's maximum annual rainfall is approximately . The Julian Prealps is one of Italy's rainiest regions: Musi receives about of annual precipitation, sometimes even 5000 mm, and can receive in a single month. In some areas of Friuli, excessive rainfall has caused erosion and the flooding of many rivers. Snow is sparse in the southern plains (3 or 4 snowy days each year in Udine and Pordenone) but falls more consistently further to the north (Val Canale 25 days, Sauris 23 days, and Passo di Monte Croce Carnico 28 days).
The following weatherbox is from Udine, the main city of Friuli.
Demography
Friuli, Mandament of Portogruaro included, is inhabited by over 1,000,000 people.