October 2025 in Grado: five experiences to discover Friuli Venezia Giulia in a new light

October is the perfect time to slow down and explore.
Grado becomes an ideal base to venture out and be surprised by places that even those familiar with Friuli Venezia Giulia may not have seen yet.
Some of these experiences are true occasions not to be missed — temporary exhibitions and events connected to GO!2025 – Gorizia, European Capital of Culture, which make autumn even more inspiring.
Here are five special suggestions, many of them perfect even on rainy days.

1. The Antro Cave
Out of the region’s 8,000 caves, only six are open to visitors. One of the most enchanting lies in the Natisone Valleys — hidden, almost secret.
After climbing a hundred steps and passing through a small chapel carved into the rock, you enter a silent world of stone and water. The limestone formations are alive, slowly changing over time. Guided visits take place on weekends and last about one hour.

2. Zoran Mušič in Gorizia

As part of War and Peace, within the GO!2025 – Gorizia European Capital of Culture programme, Palazzo Attems hosts over one hundred works by the great Slovenian painter and engraver.
An opportunity to experience the depth of an artist who transformed memory into visual poetry.

3. “Transparent Architectures” at Villa Manin
Fifteen installations in dialogue with the villa’s baroque grandeur and the surrounding park. A journey exploring the idea of boundaries — both geographical and mental — and an invitation to look beyond.
Part of the “GO!2025 & Friends” programme.

4. Ten Thousand Steps between Monfalcone and Staranzano
If daily movement is part of your idea of wellbeing, try the Litorale Isontino route designed by Turismo FVG. Between sea, pinewoods and silence, it’s a simple way to reconnect with the natural rhythm of body and landscape.

5. The Archaeological Museum of Aquileia
A museum that is also a journey through time. Beautifully restored, it brings together mosaics, artefacts and fragments of a civilisation that still speaks to us today.
Highly recommended together with the Early Christian Museum and the archaeological area.