Italy Guide
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
The Carso
The CARSO is the Italian name for the terrain of limestone uplands that rise from the plain of Veneto south of Monfalcone and eventually merge into the Istrian plateau. Although within thirty minutes of Trieste, it feels like an entirely different country, and it is geologically, botanically and demographically distinct from anywhere else in Italy.
The most picturesque way up into the Carso is to take the tranvia (cable tramway; 7.30am–8pm; every 20min; €1, same ticket as for buses) from Trieste's Piazza Oberdan to the village of Opicina, at the edge of the plateau.