Pordenone`s mountains

HOW AND WHERE
Tourist map and guide to Pordenone’s mountain area. Among villages,
valleys and summits rich in flora and fauna, sports and typical products
PIANCAVALLO AND FRIULIAN DOLOMITES
AUSTRIA
AUSTRIA
Arta Terme
Tarvisio
A23
Dolomiti Friulane
Tolmezzo
Gemona
del Friuli
Piancavallo
San Daniele
del Friuli
Spilimbergo
Palù di Livenza
SLOVENIA
Europa
Cividale
del Friuli
Regione
Friuli Venezia Giulia
UDINE
SLOVENIA
Italia
PORDENONE
Palmanova GORIZIA
A28
A4
TREVISO
Aeroporto FVG
Ronchi dei Legionari
A4
Aquileia
VENEZIA
PATRIM
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United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
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Longobards in Italy.
Places of the power (568-774 A.D.)
inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 2011
United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
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NDIAL •
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The Dolomites
inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 2009
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W O RLD H
United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
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- Palù di Livenza -
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Archaeological Area and
the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia
inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 1998
- Cividale del Friuli -
NIO MUN
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United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
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- Aquileia -
SLOVENIA
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Lignano
Sabbiadoro Grado
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Prehistoric Pile dwellings
around the Alps
inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 2011
HOW TO GET THERE
BY CAR
Motorways
A4 Torino - Trieste
A23 Palmanova - Udine - Tarvisio
A28 Portogruaro - Conegliano
BY PLANE
Regional Airport of Trieste
40 km from Trieste and Udine
15 km from Gorizia
80 km from Pordenone
www.aeroporto.fvg.it
BY TRAIN
www.trenitalia.it
Call Centre 89.20.21
Design and Creation: Five Zone Udine _ Cartography: Tarabocchia _ Printing: Poligrafiche San Marco - Cormons _ Texts by Agenzia TurismoFVG
Translation by: D’Agostini Organizzazione Dipartimento linguistico Dagoservice _ Photographs: Archivio Turismo FVG, Archivio Comune di Clauzetto, Archivio Promotur, Archivio Consorzio Turistico
Piancavallo Dolomiti Friulane, Archivio Parco Dolomiti Friulane, M. Bondi, F. Gallina, L. Tessaro, Toffoli, M. Milani, M. Valdemarin, M. Verin
AGENZIA TURISMOFVG
Villa Chiozza - via Carso, 3
33052 Cervignano del Friuli (UD)
tel +39 0431 387111 / fax +39 0431 387199
info@turismo.fvg.it
Discovery Card
INFOPOINT TURISMOFVG di Pordenone
piazza XX Settembre, 11/B
33170 Pordenone (PN)
tel +39 0434 520381 / fax +39 0434 241608
info.pordenone@turismo.fvg.it
Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
INFOPOINT TURISMOFVG di Piancavallo
via Collalto, 1 - 33081 Piancavallo-Aviano (PN)
tel +39 0434 655191 / fax +39 0434 655354
info.piancavallo@turismo.fvg.it
(Seasonal opening from December to March and from June to September)
DIPARTIMENTO PER LO SVILUPPO E LA COMPETITIVITÀ DEL TURISMO
Realised within the “Summer Alps Tourism Enhancement” interregional tourism development project
(Law 135/01), with the co-financing of the Department for Tourism Development and Competitiveness, Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
TOURIST INFORMATION POINTS
Pordenone’s mountains
NATURE, SPORTS, FLAVOURS, SNOW AND GREAT FUN IN COMPLETE SAFETY
Piancavallo, the most important tourist resort in the province of Pordenone, lies above the
Venetian-Friulian plain, now reachable even faster thanks to the opening of the new motorway.
Become famous for staging the Women’s Ski World Cup and for the international rally, today Piancavallo
can provide its visitors with a wide range of attractions, both in winter and in summer, with modern
and safe sports facilities, easily reachable and close to each other. Without forgetting the extraordinary
richness and floral diversity of the environment.
Nearby you will find the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park, which with the Campanile di Val Montanaia is
an ideal destination for those who love nature, hiking and relaxation, in an environment characterized by
a high degree of wilderness, among grasslands, malghe (shepherd’s huts), casere and bivouacs, which
make it a unique environment, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moreover, the visit to the Vajont
dam is extremely charming. The watercourses Cellina, Arzino and Cosa are also the names of Pordenone’s
Valleys that with the Tramontina Valley are an ideal territory to rediscover authentic tastes and flavours.
In Pordenone’s mountain area we also have to mention the Nature Reserves of the Cellina Gorge and of
Prescudin; Barcis and its wonderful lake; Poffabro, one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, the Caves of
Pradis, and going downhill, the stone river of the Magredi, the sterile soils.
INFOPOINT TURISMOFVG
PORDENONE
piazza XX Settembre, 11/B
tel +39 0434 520381/ fax +39 0434 241608
INFOPOINT TURISMOFVG
PIANCAVALLO
via Collalto, 1 - 33081 Piancavallo (Pn)
tel +39 0434 655191
fax +39 0434 655354
IAT - BARCIS
piazza V. Emanuele II, 5
tel +39 0427 76300
fax +39 0427 764735
IAT - MANIAGO
via Maestri del Lavoro, 1
tel +39 0427 709063
fax +39 0427 707200
IAT - SACILE
via Mazzini, 11
tel and fax +39 0434 737292
IAT - SAN VITO AL TAGLIAMENTO
piazza del Popolo
tel and fax +39 0434 80251
cell +39 331 8224411
IAT - SESTO AL REGHENA
piazza Castello, 5
tel and fax +39 0434 699701
IAT - SPILIMBERGO
via Dante Alighieri, 31
tel and fax +39 0427 2274
cell +39 329 6297148
Claut
Poffabro
Tramonti di Sopra
IAT - TOPPO DI TRAVESIO
via Verdi , 98 c/o
Palazzo dei Conti Toppo Wassermann
tel and fax +39 0427 90073
IAT - TRAMONTI DI SOPRA
via Roma, 1
tel +39 0427 869412
IAT - VALVASONE
piazza Libertà, 1
tel and fax +39 0434 898898
Piancavallo
Vajont Lake
Frisanco
Piancavallo
Cimolais lies in a particularly fascinating place, surrounded by the high Dolomite summits, the most famous of which is the Campanile di Val Montanaia.
Alleys and stone houses provide evidence of a simple
rural world, which has been able to keep the environment unspoilt. Don’t miss a visit to the Parish Church
with 17th-century wooden altars and to various small
Alpine churches scattered in the territory.
In summer you can trek up to the highest summits,
at over 2200 metres, mountain bike also in the new
“Bike FunkPark”, a track which extends over 2400
metres of length and with a difference in height of
350 metres, do horse trekking and Nordic walking,
as well as a wide range of activities from miniature
golf to roller skating, from tennis to football. In the
new “Rampy Park” forest adventure park you can test
your skills on the various tree-walking courses, with
completely safe activities and games surrounded by a
wonderful beech forest. In Castaldia those who love
paragliding and hang gliding will find an ideal and
comfortable launching pad to take off at 1000 metres
of height. For your stay in Piancavallo you will find
hotels, apartments and a modern caravan area.
Piancavallo
Piancavallo is a famous mountain resort, situated in a large sunny valley at 1,300 metres of
height and rapidly reachable from the main towns of the plain, which all year round offers
the possibility to do all kinds of sports, in contact with nature, in an unspoilt and charming
high mountain environment
The main road that climbs from Aviano has been
recently enlarged and made smooth along its whole
14-km course. The wide choice of activities proposed
and the charm of its spaces make it a pleasant and
unexpected surprise. The view is amazing: from the
highest summits, on a clear day, you may see as
far as the Adriatic sea, enjoying a typical Dolomite
landscape all around you. The ideal destination for
all skiers, from athletes to beginners, from freeriders
to cross-country skiers, to families looking for
safe places for their children, Piancavallo provides
comfortable ski lifts and safe runs equipped with a
Cimolais, Erto e Casso, Claut
Valcellina
Valcellina, an Alpine valley crossed by the Cellina stream, after which it is named,
comprises villages and towns that characterize Pordenone’s mountains thanks
to their different peculiarities
MAP OF THE CENTRE OF PIANCAVALLO
Andreis is a town lying on a green
terrace and protected by mounts
Raut, Ressetum and Fara.
Stone walls, dark wooden balconies and external staircases are
unmistakable characteristics of
the typical house of Andreis.
The town museum displays various examples of wood and bone
working, slippers in cloth and various tools for domestic use.
modern artificial snow system. Also for those who do
not ski there is a wide choice of activities for great
emotions on the snow: the largest igloo village of the
world where it is possible to spend the night or only
to go snowshoeing, take part in survival courses and
enjoy oneself building one’s igloo. Other opportunities
are provided by the bobsleigh on rails, open both in
winter and in summer, by the ice-skating rink and by
the new Indoor Stadium, which features basketball
and volleyball courts and five-a-side football pitches,
which can also be used in winter when the ski lifts
are closed.
Friulian Dolomites Natural Park
The Friulian Dolomites Natural Park extends over 37,000 hectares and comprises the areas of
the Municipalities of Andreis, Cimolais, Claut, Erto e Casso, Frisanco and Tramonti di Sopra in
the province of Pordenone, of Forni di Sopra and Forni di Sotto in the province of Udine
The landscape is characterized by a Dolomite setting
and by long and narrow valleys.
The harshness and the severity of the environment
that, together with the absence of accommodation facilities at high altitude, encourages tourism by climbers and hikers, is combined with a thick network of
well-marked paths that can be followed on foot, by
bicycle or on horseback, which makes it suitable for
all those who love nature.
Going deeper into the park and stopping at the various recently renovated casere huts, it is easy to see
the real protagonists of these places: wild animals.
Deer, roe deer, chamois and, up higher, ibex and
whistlers, can often be seen in the vegetation and
among the rocks of their habitat, providing watchful
and patient observers with unforgettable views.
The golden eagle, the symbol of the Protected Area, is
the main protagonist of these places and dominates
undisturbed from above each valley of the Park.
On the other hand, the protagonists of the park’s floristic heritage, surely one of the elements that have
made it an area to be protected, are silent and showy.
Endemic species, such as Carnic sandwort (Arenaria
huteri), Daphne blagayana, Froelich’s gentian (Gentiana froelichii), Tyrolean primrose (Primula tyrolensis), Wulfen’s primrose (Primula wulfeniana) are only
some of the precious flowers present.
Seven visitor centres scattered in the territory, open
all year round on weekends and during the periods
of greater tourist attendance (summer), are active to
discover and appreciate the protected area. The recently renovated visitor centre of Cimolais is situated
on the ground floor of the building that also houses
the headquarters of the Park. It is made up of various
sections, which lead visitors along a path specially
designed to provide a specific, in-depth picture of the
Park’s wildlife, equipped with multimedia and interactive elements, such as the interactive and dynamic
floor. In the typical Dolomite landscape of the area of
the “Monfalconi” there is one of the park’s symbols,
The Reserve of Prescudin
Proceeding on the road of Valcellina, after Barcis you will reach
Prescudin, a regional reserve rich
in flora and fauna crossed by wellmarked paths and characterised
by interesting Karst phenomena.
Erto and Casso lie on the opposite slopes of the landslide of Mount Toc and are characterised by a spontaneous architecture of local stone of a typical rosy
colour. Rich in history and charm is the sacred representation of the Passion, which for many centuries
has involved the whole town of Erto on Good Friday.
In Erto you will also find the most important and complete documentation centre of the tragic Vajont event
and the starting point for guided tours of the crowning
of the dam.
Claut, the gem of the Friulian Dolomites, is a lively
tourist resort, where one can do the most varied
sports in the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park, wellknown for its high degree of wilderness and for its
extraordinary beauties.
Claut is a treasure to be discovered: it provides trekking and mountain bike tracks on perfectly equipped
and safe trails, the possibility to do several sports
such as canoeing, bouldering, hydrospeeding, canyoning, fishing and sports climbing, the opportunity
to visit historical sites, such as the famous dinosaur
footprints dating back to 215 million years ago and
the Museo della Casa Clautana (Museum of Claut’s
House). However, Claut is also very active as the location of summer training camps for teams of the most
varied sports (football, basketball, volleyball, skating,
curling), thanks to facilities such as the “A. Della Valentina” ice-skating rink, the “Papa Giovanni Paolo II”
indoor sports arena and to the notorious hospitality of
Valcellina, which provides multi-purpose accommodation facilities suitable for all kinds of visitors: hotels
equipped with all comforts, a thriving model of multibuilding hotel and wonderful Guest Rooms, good for
young tourists.
In winter, Claut is an outstanding tourist resort, as testified to by the 2003 World University Games, in which
curling competitions took place - the local ice-skating
rink is Italy’s only Curling Federal Centre - and the recent 2011 Ski Mountaineering World Championships,
born on the basis of the experience of the Transclautana.
Pianpinedo Wildlife Park
Between the Municipalities of Cimolais and Claut and
on the borders with the Friulian Dolomites Natural
Park is Pianpinedo Wildlife Park, a wonderful example of biodiversity: in an area of 35 hectares the park
re-proposes in an absolutely natural way the microclimate of the high Dolomite summits.
Pianpinedo is the ideal place to walk surrounded by
unspoilt nature and see deer, roedeer, ibex or some
lone chamois. You may also get the chance to see
whistlers, squirrels and foxes.
Montereale Valcellina
At the foot of the mountains, placed at the outlet of
this enchanting valley is Montereale Valcellina, a town
where one of Italy’s first large hydroelectric power
plants is located, perfectly preserved and today transformed into an interactive history museum inside
which, thanks to the interactive stations of Immaginario Scientifico, you are invited to follow an amusing
path through natural phenomena. A few hundred metres away is the Geo Centre Immaginario Geografico,
housed in the former Dairy of Malnisio. With its large
floor Orthophotos the Geo Centre invites you to look
at the territory from above, to explore known and unknown landscapes in a path enriched by large lenses that allow to see all details, teaching equipment,
games and quizzes. A wonderful 17th-century building complex houses the Municipal Archaeological Museum, which preserves valuable archaeological finds
of the site of Montereale. The small St. Roch Church
(11th century) preserves a splendid cycle of frescoes
by Calderari and a 17th-century wooden altar.
Nature Reserve of the Cellina Gorge
The Nature Reserve of the Cellina Gorge is managed
by the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park. It extends
over the most significant part of the large incised
valley hollowed out by the Cellina stream among the
towns of Andreis, Barcis and Montereale Valcellina.
The morphological aspect is typical of a large canyon,
the largest in the region and certainly one of the most
spectacular in Italy, with vertical faces and imposing
phenomena of river erosion. A real “system” of gorges, flowing into each other, relative to the courses of
the Alba, Molassa and Cellina streams.
Friulian Dolomites Natural Park
Friulian
Dolomites
Natural Park
The Friulian Dolomites, together with other areas of
the Dolomites, have been listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The United Nations Organization has
recognized the exceptional value of these territories
for the entire mankind, considering them worthy of
the greatest care, so that their peculiarities and characteristics may be preserved for the future generations.
Barcis overlooks the artificial lake
that has made it famous, where
it is possible to canoe, row, kayak
and scuba dive. You will find a path
along the shores of the lake, in the
shadow of fir trees, equipped for
picnics. In the heart of the town is
St. John the Baptist Church, which
dates back to the end of the 16th
century; of the same period is
Palazzo Centi with its magnificent
double open gallery. “Barcis Motonautica”, an international competition that attracts enthusiasts and
onlookers, takes place every year
between May and June.
Pianpinedo Park, Montereale and Reserve of the Cellina Gorge
the “Campanile di Val Montanaia”, the imposing rocky
pinnacle climbed by Austrian mountaineers Saar and
Glanvell for the first time in 1902.
In the town of Andreis you will find the Avifauna Area,
consisting of the recovery centre for wounded birds
and the veterinary surgery, of a nucleus of aviaries,
an educational-ornithological room and a natural
laboratory. The area of greatest interest for the public is certainly that of the aviaries, situated above the
town of Andreis, inside which various species of birds
live: hawks, kestrels, buzzards, tawny owls, sparrowhawks, a Northern Goshawk and a golden eagle.
In Claut don’t miss a visit to the “Museo della Casa
Clautana” (Museum of Claut’s House), which describes the life of the women from Valcellina, devoted
to housework, work in the fields, in the cattle shed
and as pedlars selling wooden tools built by the men
during the winter. The Museum also aims at recovering old structures characteristic of the nature, culture
and landscape of Valcellina.
Along the not hard path treaded by the Alpine soldiers
during the first years of the 20th century, you will get
to Casera Casavento, where some fossil dinosaur
footprints have been discovered in the rock, a find of
great paleontological interest. It was a three-finger
bipedal animal lived in the Triassic period, 215 million
years ago, when instead of the mountains there was
a large tidal plain.
At the entrance of the Zemola Valley, from Costa to
Casso, the old coal road (Al Trui dal Sciarbon) starts,
an easy panoramic path that crosses an area of natural, historical and ethnographic interest, where fascinating landscapes are combined with images of the
past, among the austere buildings of the towns of Erto
and Casso, inevitably dimmed by the tragic memory
of the Vajont disaster.
The visitor centre of Erto is entirely dedicated to the
Vajont tragedy of 1963.
It is divided into two sections, one of which displays
a collection of period photos. You will be taken back
in time to discover traditions, usages and customs of
the Vajont people before the tragic event of October 9,
1963, until getting to the fateful night when the huge
landslide detached from Mount Toc and fell into the
artificial lake, setting off the fury of water that caused
1,908 victims.
The other section describes in a detailed and scientific way the whole event from the design of the hydroelectric basin of the “big Vajont” to the court trial.
Everything is told through descriptive panels.
Moreover, it is possible to look at tables, diagrams
and to compare explanatory plastic models.
In the multimedia room a CD-ROM allows to have a
global vision of the disaster and to watch the graphic
reconstruction of the landslide and original films of
the period.
At the Vajont dam, in summer and by appointment, a
service of guided tours along the dam crown is available to allow visitors to imagine how the event occurred directly in the places where the tragedy took
place.
In Frisanco the visitor centre has been obtained in
the building of the former dairy of Poffabro and provides the possibility to discover all the secrets of how
cheese was made in Friuli, in a real dairy with the
original machinery preserved in an exemplary way.
A photo exhibition and a multimedia station enrich
and complete the visit.
Gastronomy
Colvera Valley
The Colvera Valley opens on the sides of Mount Raut with forests and streams surrounded
by unspoilt nature. The villages and hamlets form an intact cultural and architectural gem,
unique in Pordenone’s piedmont area
The most representative are those of Frisanco and of Poffabro that, listed as one of “Italy’s most beautiful
towns”, owes its “magical force” to the enchanting effect of the square-edged stones and of the wooden balconies, simple and austere architectural elements that also provide a sense of intimacy and cosiness in the
courtyards , to which one accesses through a narrow archway, or in the long rows of houses with a sixteenthseventeenth-century plan.
Val d’Arzino
Val Cosa
Val Tramontina
Green valleys made precious by villages of old origins, the ideal destination for walks, hikes,
bicycle and horse rides or even for simple relaxation
The artistic and historical heritage allows to have an
overview of the rich and varied past, still present in
the traditions, in the craft and food and wine products,
as well as in the renovated and well-preserved buildings (churches, palaces, elegant houses, villas and
castles). In Clauzetto, called the “balcony over Friuli”
due to its splendid position, the Caves of Pradis are
an extremely fascinating destination and are recognized as an important archaeological site as well.
Going down 207 steep steps, you will get to the bottom of the spectacular ravine named after Father
G. Bianchini. The deep gorge contains the turbulent
Cosa stream and the splendid bronze crucifix, made
by prof. Gatto, intended to ideally calm the rush of
the waters. Of great interest is also the artistic heritage present in the many churches. St. James Parish
Church, the first outpost to be kissed by the morning
sun, is preceded by a large 89-step staircase. Along
the road that links Travesio to Meduno you will find
the castle of Toppo di Travesio, in an area that is ideal
also for the landing of those who hang glide or paraglide from Mount Valinis. In Tramonti di Sopra there
is a picnic area situated in an unspoilt environment on
the shore of the Meduna river, where one can spend
relaxing moments in contact with nature. The giant
ants’ nest of Rufa the ant and the lime kiln provide a
setting for the fitness trail.
The Magredi:
among
Cordenons,
San Quirino
and Vivaro
The Magredi are an area of Pordenone’s upper plain where the Cellina and Meduna
rivers sink into the water-bearing stratum and then re-emerge in the resurgence area
The landscape mainly consists of stones, from which the particular microclimate derives and, as a consequence, the vegetal landscape and the components of its typical fauna, consisting of herbivores, such as the
hare, predators and super predators, such as the green whip snake and the black kite. The stony ground also
determines the steppe-like look of the wide grasslands, mainly made up of grass and small bushes, such as
bramble, rock buckthorn and dog rose. The symbol of the Magredi is the stone curlew, the most peculiar species among the birds that nest on the ground, the eggs and plumage of which perfectly mimic grass.
Gastronomy
The lands of Pordenone’s mountains are rich in flavours, tastes and aromas.
The gastronomy and the typical products accompany tourists in a journey to rediscover the
rural traditions, in which cheeses, the products of the shepherd’s huts, sausages and game
are only some of the extraordinary proposals of this territory
Mostly poor cooking, which thanks to creativity has
been able to reinvent itself providing substantial and
tasty dishes: a pleasure for the eyes and for the taste
buds!
Many are the varieties of meats and of seasoned and
smoked cold meats and salami: the Pitina (with its
variants Peta and Petuccia), a hemispherical smoked
meat ball with spices and herbs; the Bondiola or Saùc,
a cotechino stuffed into a large gut casing with small
pieces of tongue and minced inner muscles of the pig
at the centre of the mixture; the Brusaula, prepared
with thin strips of dried meat, of selected lean beef,
pork or venison meat, without nerves and fat, smoked
after maceration in salt, pepper and herbs; the Filon
(Filon de purcel) that is obtained from the pig loin,
boned, trimmed to obtain a piece of lean meat. In addition to the many game meats, very famous is the
muset (or cotechino) usually accompanied by the brovada (turnips soaked in vinegar and cooked).
The variety of cheeses is extremely wide: besides the
malga cheeses, with a full taste and sometimes a
pleasantly bitter aftertaste, and the dairy cheeses, such
as Montasio, we would like to mention the “Formai dal
Cit”, a spreadable cheese with a strong smell and a
slightly spicy taste and the “Asìno cheese”, with different characteristics in the two versions, classic and soft,
savoury and slightly spicy with different gradations.
Cheese (together with potatoes) is the main ingredient of one of the most famous dishes of the local tradition: frico.
Finally, extremely wide is the variety of wines produced, unique for their organoleptic characteristics
and type, among which Forgiarìn, Piculìt neri, Scjagìn
and Ucelùt.