Villa Giulia

The owner was such a delightful, kind lady. She welcomed us at Villa Giulia, showed us around, and explained what we needed to know. We spent a few days at the beach before driving up to Tarvisio in the Alps, the last stop of our vacation. We arrived in Grado by ferry from Trieste, then walked a short way to the property. The place is right in the middle of everything, close to the ferry, beaches, town center, shops, and supermarkets. If you come by car, there’s space out back for cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. Our little apartment was charming and well laid out, with a kitchen and dining area, a small terrace, bathroom, double bedroom, and all the amenities, including a TV, air conditioning, and sofa. There was a dining table inside and a smaller one on the terrace, where we ate too. I can’t remember for sure whether there was also a washing machine or dishwasher. Being able to shop a little and cook our own meals turned out to be a great way to cut the vacation cost. We only ate out a few times when we felt like it. The nearest beach was also the best, I think it was called "Spiaggia Vecchia." The water is a bit deeper there, so swimming is easier. The other nearby beaches, which we walked to, are very shallow, especially in the afternoon, and you have to go a long way from shore to swim properly. Spiaggia Vecchia has equipped lidos as well as a free section. The other beaches are paid, and you need to book through the app or risk missing out. That happened to us, so like plenty of others, we ended up using the little gardens in front. You could still get to the sea even without an umbrella. Grado’s center is lovely, with an old part full of narrow lanes, characterful houses, a square and basilica, then a more modern, open, very pretty area with lots of greenery. In the evening, there was a kind of fair with street food and music. We were very happy with our stay, though in, if I remember right, just three days we didn’t manage to see much. The owner also mentioned boat trips to Barbana Island, where the Sanctuary is.