JULIAN ALPS | ITALY

The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia and of the former Yugoslavia. They are named after Julius Caesar, who founded the municipal of Cividale del Friuli at the foot of the mountains. A large part of the Julian Alps is included in Triglav National Park. The second highest peak of the range, the 2,775m high Jôf di Montasio, lies in Friuli Venezia Region of Italy. The Julian Alps cover an estimated 4,400 km² (of which 1,542 km² lies in Slovenia). They are located between Sava valley and Kanalska Dolina. They are divided into the Eastern and Western Julian Alps.

Eastern Julian Alps

The Eastern Julian Alps are located in Slovenia. There are many peaks in the Eastern Julian Alps over 2,000m high, and they are mainly parts of ridges. The most important peaks are visible by height and massiveness. There are high plains on the eastern border like Pokljuka, Mežakla and Jelovic.

Western Julian Alps

The Western Julian Alps cover a much smaller area, and are located mainly in Italy. Only the Kanin group lies in Slovenia. The main peaks by height are:

• Jôf di Montasio
• Jof Fuart
• Kanin

Important passes of the Julian Alps are:

• The Vršič Pass, 1,611 m (5,826 feet), links the Sava and Soča valleys. It is the highest mountain road pass in Slovenia.
• The Predil Pass (links Villach via Tarvisio and Bovec to Gorizia), paved road 1,156 m (3,792 feet)
• The Hrušica Plateau at the Postojna Gate: (links Ljubljana to Gorizia), paved road 883 m (2,897 feet)
• The Pontebba Pass (links Villach via Tarvisio and Pontebba to Udine), railway, paved road, 797 m (2,615 feet)