The coastal region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, stretching from the Tagliamento River to Muggia, presents a complex interplay between natural environments and human activities. Historically a crossroads between continental and Mediterranean Europe, it has long been shaped by water-based infrastructures such as the Litoranea Veneta. Twentieth-century plans by figures like Max Fabiani and Ernesto Nathan Rogers foresaw canals connecting the Adriatic to Central Europe and explored innovative relationships between urban growth, landscape preservation, and mobility. Today, amid climate change and rising sea levels, these visions could inspire renewed strategies for sustainable coastal and inland navigation.