Far East Film Festival held in Udine, Italy, gave Asian celebrities a chance to enjoy the city and surroundings.Most tourists flying in to Venice Marco Polo Airport head straight for the canals and gondolas of one of the world's most popular destinations. But for those looking to leave the crowds behind, just an hour's drive in the other direction lies Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of the most unspoiled, refreshing and surprising parts of Italy.
Atop a tall column, the noble Lion of Venice looks down on those strolling in the piazza, much like Nelson in London's Trafalgar Square, while the centrepiece Torre dell'Orologio, lined by shady porticos, is almost a carbon copy of the clock tower in Venice's Piazza San Marco. And for those who visit in April, Udine reserves a final, multiethnic surprise. For the past 24 years, Friuli's capital has played host to the Far East Film Festival, a funky alternative to the likes of Cannes that devotes itself to showcasing the talent and latest movies coming out of East Asia.
"After […] the festival is over, I have decided to give Venice a miss. I really don't want to find myself in the midst of huge crowds of tourists, so have decided to go off the beaten track and explore another part Friuli, just an hour's train ride away, the port of Trieste." I run faster than at home in Beijing as there is so much to see here; the ancient palaces and huge churches, narrow cobbled backstreets, and I love jogging along the maze of beautiful tiny canals that crisscross the city.
Apparent to all is that, in Udine, you can visit all the sights and museums without having to stand in long queues or push though crowds to get a good view of a painting. For dinner, traditional trattoria serve hearty, affordable plates of regional specialities such as cjarsons , ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta; tagliatelle with a rich wild boar sauce; crispy pork knuckle and creamy mashed potato.
"At one point during lockdown, I was meant to fly out to the Midwest, in America, to film with Bruce Willis in what would have been his final film before retiring, but I had a bad feeling so just before take-off, I decided to get off the plane and turn down the role - what a panic that caused at the airport!"
But what a difference between buying it in the supermarket and coming here to find out how it is actually made! I will definitely be dining out on stories of this trip."