mac and johanna's bike tripjoh

Sept. 22, 2016

Udine to Grado

We toured the Plaza de Libertad with its beautiful ancient buildings and statues then left Udine through the Porta Aquileia and soon reached Palmanova, a beautiful fortified city laid out like a star, with city gates Porta Aquileia, Udine, and Porta Cividale still preserved. There is a huge plaza surrounded by palazzos. Unfortunately it was occupied by a traveling circus which spoiled the view and greatly annoyed our Johanna. After the ubiquitous gelato, we left through Porta Aquileia and soon arrived at Castello Strassoldo d’ Sopra. We toured this ancient castle and returned to the bike route to make our way to Aquileia, an important and large city of the Roman Empire.

We stopped to visit the Basilica Santa Maria Assunta, located just before the city of Grado. We were astounded by this huge church with the intricate floor mosaics dating back to 500 AD. We walked along glass floors which protected the early Christian floor mosaics below . We visited the Baptistry which was a very large circular pool with several levels carved out of stone. Perhaps they baptized large groups at a time.

We went on and soon came to the long causeway which connects the peninsula of Grado to the mainland. It was great to finally reach the sea.

After 68 km, we entered Grado, a Roman port for the city of Aquileia. It had all the quaintness of a fishing village on Martha’s Vineyard.

For centuries Grado was plundered and ransacked by pirates. From the Middle Ages until the 18th century it was under the rule of the Republic of Venice. At the end of the 18th century the Hapbsburgs took over the rule under the Emperor Franz Josef I.

A huge lagoon surrounds the island and the town of Grado. It has a very high salt content and supports over 150 different species of bird and sea life. Crustaceans and seafood abound.

We stayed at the Villa Victoria owned by an older woman. Accommodations were basic but la signora was very sweet and hospitable. We have now reached the end of the Alpe Adria bike trail.