Tom`s travels: Trip around northern Friuli (10/08/2024)

Ania and I did a day trip in northern Friuli visiting a few places along the way. Our first stop was the town of Clauzetto, known as the balcony of Friuli due to its location on hilly terrain at around 558m surrounded by mountains and with a view of the plains. Once there we walked around town admiring the views and reached the main church, San Giacomo, a little aways from the center, on a hilltop dominating the landscape. Built in the 17th century it features a wide facade and a bell tower from a century later. Unfortunately, it was closed so we retraced our steps back to town and stopped at the only bar in town for breakfast. After eating we drove to the nearby Pradis Caves where we parked the car and bought our ticket as soon as the site opened. We were the first ones in and enjoyed it a lot as it was never crowded during our visit. The caves are quite popular and on a hot August weekend day such as that can become quite crowded. Opened to the public in the 1960s the caves which actually are made up of a series of caves and a gorge are an important site and human and animal traces dating all the way back to the Paleolithic time were found there. We descended the 207 steps leading down to the gorge formed by the Cosa River and walked through the wooden walkways leading along the canyon. We admire beautiful rock formations and incredible views of the gorge. In addition, we followed the pathway leading to tunnels and smaller caves and then to the main cave, that of the Madonna, quite large and with a statue of Mary as it was a site of devotion. After the nice visit we headed back up to the car and then a short drive led us to the Ceconi Castle. This castle was built in 1908 in a neogothic style by Giacomo Ceconi, a building contractor, who became rich by building railroad lines during the 19th century. Set on a plateau surrounded by mountains it has a beautiful view and we were able to access it freely as it hosted an art exhibition inside. Nearby in the small town of Pielungo, we tried visiting the church of Sant'Antonio also built by Ceconi. It was closed so we continued on, heading downhill and then stopping along the road where many cars were parked. Here a short descent led us to the Curnila, a series of pools created by the Arzino river which have beautiful crystal clear waters. The place was already quite full of people but we just wanted to see it instead of staying there and having a swim in the frigid waters before heading onwards. As we drove onwards we started heading uphill along the arzino valley. At one point we reached a beautiful area surrounded by mountains and with a view of even more mountains in the distance. Stopping in a small town called Chiaicis we decided to have lunch in a place called Al Borgo which had also vegan and vegetarian food. Ania had polenta with falafel, lentils, and beans while I had frico, a type of grilled potato and cheese with polenta. Nearby we then visited the Verzegnis Lake, an artificial lake with a beautiful view of Mount Amariana not far ahead. After visiting the lake we headed downhill and reached the valley, formed by the flow of the Tagliamento river. Once we crossed it we reached the city of Tolmezzo. We parked the car and continued on foot visiting its pretty historic center. First, we headed uphill until we reached the Picotta Tower, built in 1477 but destroyed by Germans in 1944 during WWII. It was later rebuilt and provides a beautiful view of the surrounding mountainous landscape and the city itself which we enjoyed for a while. Heading back down into town we walked along the main street lined by porticoes and old buildings and reached the other end of town. Here was the Museo Carnico delle Arti popolari, a museum of local folk art, hosted inside the 17th century Palazzo Campeis. We decided not to visit the museum but instead just check out the palace's courtyard which featured some exhibits such as wellheads, wooden utensils, etc. Walking further we then reached and entered the Duomo, built in the 18th century to replace a smaller older church. At the southeastern end of town, we reached the Porta di Sotto, the only surviving city wall part of the medieval wall that once surrounded the city. Back in town we then visited the other church, Santa Caterina, once dating to the 15th century but completely rebuilt in the 18th century. After the stroll, we got back to the car and drove uphill to reach the town of Illegio. Here after parking the car, we strolled through the town with its stone houses and wooden architecture set on a plateau surrounded by mountains. We passed by its main church, San Paolo, dating to the 18th century but found it closed and continued along the picturesque streets admiring also a series of watermills set along the small creek flowing through town. After the visit, we drove back down to the valley and followed it downhill for quite a bit. Eventually, we stopped at the Lago di Cavazzo. the largest natural lake in the region. Located on a depression between the mountains it is a popular tourist spot. Generally, its southern side, as it is flat and has infrastructure is quite busy, but we stopped the car on its eastern side which has a slope heading down to the lake. From the parking lot along the road, we descended a path and reached the lake's shore. Here we laid our towels and had a little nap. Then I decided to take a swim in the nice clear but cold waters. It was very refreshing and worth it especially due to the beautiful scenery around. Once we were done we headed back to the car but only at the top did I realize I had left my swimsuit to dry by the lakeshore. I ran back down and then up I went once again. For the last of the day, we then drove to Udine. I had been here several times but Ania hadn't and as it was one of the partner universities of our master's studies and quite a nice old town I wished her to see it too, We parked the car in the large square Piazza I Maggio just next to the old town and then had a stroll through the city. We entered through one of the medieval gates, Porta Manin, and then reached the beautiful Piazza della Libertà with the Loggia del Lionello, in a Venetian gothic style, the renaissance Loggia and tempietto di San Giovanni, and the Venetian style clock tower. Moving on we reached another main square, Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, more simple in its style but nonetheless scenic with many bars and restaurants around. As we were getting hungry we decided to look for a place for dinner. We ended up choosing Poke Sun-Rice where we had a poke bowl as we wanted something quick and fresh due to the heat as well. Then we headed back to the large square and stopped for a tasty gelato at Oggi Gelato, and with it in hand continued our stroll through the rest of town. Once back in the car, we started to head back to Jesolo and along the way stopped quickly in Mortegliano which features the tallest bell tower in Italy at 113m. Built in the 1950s it consists of a framework of exposed reinforced concrete beams and pillars while the inner part is light brick masonry. Eventually we got back home satisfied after a long trip.