This lake, situated between the two largest cities in Carinthia - Klagenfurt and Villach - is the warmest in the Alps. Tourism here dates back to the 1860s when the lake region was incorporated into the Austrian train system. The rich and famous from Vienna and beyond started to flock to the lake's northern shore, while the southern shore had no train tracks and remained undiscovered for another 50 years. Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Heidi Horten, and last but not least John F. Kennedy spent time here and enjoyed the lake and the warm, pleasant climate.

Udine, the proud capital of Friuli, is quite Venetian and has even copied some of Venice's buildings for its beautiful historic center. It wanted to be the capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but Trieste won the bid. You should take some time to visit the castle hill. The mighty castle is a prime example of the Lombard Renaissance. The church of Santa Maria di Castello, right next to the castle, is the oldest in the city. The campanile with the rotating copper figure of the archangel Gabriel, who indicates the direction of the wind, is a landmark of Udine.
The imitation of Venice can be seen in the beautiful Piazza Libertà with the classical statues of Hercules and Cacus, the fountain and the Pillars of Justice. The Loggia Lionello was inspired by the Venetian Doge's Palace.

The cave castle is one of the most beautifully situated buildings in the whole country. The four-storey building rises far into the cave that opens up in the 123 m high rock face. It was considered unconquerable. According to legend, the Trieste captain Ravbar besieged the castle for a whole year, but the robber baron Erasmus supplied himself and his men through a 6.5 km long tunnel system. Only through betrayal were the Triestines finally able to penetrate in 1483.