Friuli-Venezia Giulia · Gorizia
Grado
An Adriatic island town inside a 90-square-kilometer lagoon, refuge of the Aquileian patriarchs after 568 and a Habsburg bathing resort thirteen centuries later.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Grado is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 46 min from Udine
- Population
- 7,532
- J9°
- F11°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J26°
- J29°
- A29°
- S24°
- O19°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 10°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Grado is an island town in the Marano-Grado Lagoon, between Venice and Trieste, on a 90-square-kilometer mosaic of shallow water, sandbanks, and reedbeds. When the Lombards took Aquileia in 568, the metropolitan fled here; the Aquileian see was transferred to Grado in 579 and the town became known as New Aquileia. Bishop Elia consecrated the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia on November 3, 579, on the patriarchal square.
The patriarchate moved to Venice in 1105 and was formally suppressed in 1451, but Grado kept the basilica, the sixth-century baptistery, and the lapidarium. The town became Italian seaside in the Habsburg sense in the nineteenth century, when Empress Sissi's circle gave it the imperial bathing certification; the long sandy beaches and lagoon climate did the rest. Today it carries the Bandiera Blu and is the only Italian Adriatic resort that opens directly south, with full-day sun. The casoni, thatched fishermen's huts on the lagoon islets, are still in use.
How to get there
From Treviso (TSF), about 1 h 39 min by car.
Verona (VRN) is about 2 h 52 min away.
By car from the center of Udine 46 min or Trieste 1 h.
Coming by train into Trieste Centrale? Grado is about 57 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Treviso airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Basilica di Sant'Eufemia
Sixth-century basilica consecrated in 579 by Patriarch Elia, with original mosaic floor, lapidarium, and the suppressed patriarchal cathedra of Grado.
Battistero di Sant'Eufemia
Hexagonal sixth-century baptistery next to the basilica, with octagonal immersion font and the oldest preserved liturgical architecture in the lagoon.
Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie
Fifth- to sixth-century three-nave basilica on the patriarchal square, with original mosaic flooring and remains of the earlier early-Christian structure.
Spiaggia di Grado
Long fine-sand beach south of the centro storico, the only Italian Adriatic beach with full southern exposure, holder of the Bandiera Blu mark.
Laguna di Grado
90-square-kilometer lagoon between the Isonzo mouth and the Adriatic, dotted with thatched casoni and the Riserva Naturale della Valle Cavanata.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Tavernetta all'AndronaRistorante
Tavernetta all'Androna holds two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100).
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Grado meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 7,532 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Gorizia, a city of 33,620, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 7,532, down 9.2% since 2015
- Nearest city Gorizia, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Monfalcone, 18 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,700 to €3,800 per m² to buy, €7.40 to €12.90 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 22% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Trieste airport (TRS), 30 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Trieste, 1 h drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
7% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Bangladesh, Romania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. 53 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Austria and Germany. There are 443 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 68% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Gorizia province ranks 35th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Monfalcone, 18 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Trieste, 31 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Trieste, 31 km away. The nearest IB school is UWC Adriatic, 19 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
Friuli Venezia Giulia has its own property tax, ILIA, in place of IMU. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Friuli-Venezia Giulia spends about €2,350 a month, €520 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €478 a year for water, on the Friuli-Venezia Giulia average. In Gorizia, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.33 and a meal in a pizzeria €12.06.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 31% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 52% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Thermal baths in town: Terme Marine.
Known for
NEW AQUILEIA
Refuge of the Patriarchate of Aquileia from the Lombard invasion of 568, capital of the Aquileian patriarchs until the seat moved to Venice in 1105.
HABSBURG SEASIDE
Bathing resort developed under the Austrian Empire in the nineteenth century, the imperial Adriatic alternative to Abbazia and Lussinpiccolo.
LAGUNA
90-square-kilometer Marano-Grado lagoon of sandbanks, reeds, and thatched casoni, still worked by lagoon fishermen using traditional flat-bottomed boats.
Common questions
- What is Grado known for?
- Grado is an Adriatic island town inside a 90-square-kilometer lagoon, refuge of the Aquileian patriarchs after 568 and a Habsburg bathing resort thirteen centuries later.
- Where is Grado?
- Grado is a comune in the province of Gorizia, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, at 2 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Grado?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Trieste (TRS), about 30 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Udine to Grado?
- About 46 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Grado?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Grado?
- Aquileia, Vernole and Gabicce Mare.
- How many people live in Grado?
- 7,532 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Grado a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Grado is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Gorizia, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Monfalcone, 18 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 22% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 2 m
- Population: 7,532
- Surface area: 111.33 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Grado appears in
- The best coastal towns within two hours of PaduaNear Paduacoastalwithin 2 hours6 towns · smallest 1,674 residents · closest 49 min away
- The best coastal towns within two hours of UdineNear Udinecoastalwithin 2 hours6 towns · smallest 1,674 residents · closest 43 min away
- The best coastal towns within two hours of VeniceNear Venicecoastalwithin 2 hours6 towns · smallest 1,674 residents · closest 46 min away
- The best hot-spring towns within two hours of VeniceNear Venicehot springswithin 2 hours6 towns · smallest 1,779 residents · closest 43 min away
- The best towns that eat well within 75 minutes of TriesteNear Triestewithin 75 mineats well8 towns · smallest 1,674 residents · closest 10 min away
- The best hot-spring towns within two hours of PaduaNear Paduahot springswithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 1,779 residents · closest 15 min away
Similar
Towns like Grado
What all six share with Grado: on the Adriatic coast · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · near sea level
The letter
Grado is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Grado comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Chioggia, 101 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.