Hotels in Gradisca dʼIsonzo

Gradisca d'Isonzo is a small fortified town on the Isonzo river in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, built by the Venetians in the fifteenth century as a bulwark against the Ottomans and later prized enough to be named a city by the Habsburgs. The star-shaped walls, arcaded streets and Renaissance palazzi survive largely intact, and it's been officially recognised as one of Italy's "Borghi più belli" — pretty rather than monumental, and best appreciated on foot in an hour or two rather than as a long base.

Be honest: there isn't much nightlife or shopping beyond a few good restaurants and wine bars, and this is a day-trip or one-night stop for most visitors rather than a destination in itself. With only 6,431 residents, it stays quiet even in summer, and Trieste Airport is close enough for easy access without the crowds of the coast. Stay inside the old walls if you can — one of the handful of hotels there puts you right among the arcades and squares, which is the whole point of coming.