Hidden in the remote northwest corner of Friuli, where Italy meets Austria, are the Carnia mountains. The area takes its name from the region’s first inhabitants, a Celtic tribe called the Carni, who wandered into these mountains in search of a quiet place to raise cattle. Centuries later, the Romans built one of their major roads, Via Giulia Augusta, beginning in the city of Aquileia and extending across the Carnian Alps. Also running through these rugged mountains are the many tributaries of the Tagliamento River, which have helped to form Carnia’s seven distinct valleys. Throughout this area, Alpine farmhouses dot the landscape, cows graze in verdant pastures, and time almost seems to stand still. Rugged peaks and long, treacherous roads have served to separate Carnia from the rest of Friuli, and it is precisely because of this isolation that the people have maintained many of their deep-rooted customs.
Val Tagliamento
We’ll begin as every visitor does, in Tolmezzo, the gateway to the Carnian Alps. The largest and most industrial town in Carnia, Tolmezzo is famous for its long history of textile production. The city is also home to the Museo Carnico delle Arti Popolari, an ethnographic museum whose collection encompasses all aspects of Carnian life and culture—from weaving to woodcraft, clothing to cookware, metalwork to masks. One of Carnia’s most notable figures, the renowned chef Gianni Cosetti, who passed away in 2001, gained his reputation at Tolmezzo’s Albergo Ristorante Roma.
The Val Tagliamento runs west from Tolmezzo, passing through the towns of Villa Santina and Ampezzo. At the westernmost point of Carnia, where Friuli meets the Veneto region, Forni di Sopra presents a spectacular view of the Dolomites. Here, on both sides of the Tagliamento River, there are numerous hiking trails to choose from: easy paths through the woods and meadows bordering the town, routes of medium difficulty to nearby refuges, and longer excursions for trained hikers into the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane. These mountains earn Forni di Sopra its popularity as a ski resort in the winter, while the same slopes come alive with wildflowers during spring and summer months.
Valle del Bût
This valley begins in Tolmezzo and runs north toward Austria. One of the first towns we pass is Zuglio, an ancient Roman settlement, the ruins of which can still be seen today right in the center of town. Its advantageous location alongside the Bût River no doubt drew the Romans to the site and allowed their civilization to thrive for centuries.
Just a mile up the road from Zuglio is Arta Terme, where the river supplies healing waters to the Terme di Arta spa. While much of the surrounding landscape has not changed for centuries, the Japanese-style pagoda that houses the thermal baths catches the eye as a rather conspicuous manifestation of the modern world. Arta Terme is also home to the Festa dell’Asparago di Bosco, del Radicchio di Montagna, e dei Funghi di Primavera, a festival celebrating wild asparagus, mountain radicchio, and spring mushrooms.
Valle del Chiarsò
The Valle del Chiarsò branches off from the Valle del Bût near Zuglio, extending a short distance to the northeast. Paularo, the main town in this valley, is home to the museum known as La Mozartina, founded by composer and Paularo native Giovanni Canciani. During his long musical career in Torino, Canciani amassed a vast collection of rare musical instruments, many of which he personally restored. Among these were over one hundred keyboard instruments, including organs, harpsichords, clavichords, and pianos. In 1993, following his three-year term as mayor of the town, part of Canciani’s collection was moved to Paularo, where he opened his museum in the 18th-century Casa Scala. The rooms are furnished in the style of the Baroque and Romantic periods, with Baroque paintings hanging on the walls alongside a number of stringed instruments. In addition, visitors will find a collection of rare books, manuscripts, and autographed scores, including ones by Mozart, Haydn, and Verdi. A second location was added to the museum in 2015, its rooms decorated in the Art Deco style and primarily featuring instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Valcalda
The Valcalda runs east to west between the Valle del Bût and Val Degano. The primary town here is Ravascletto, nestled at the foot of Monte Zoncolan. Best known as one of the most frequently visited ski resorts in the region, Zoncolan is directly accessible by ski lift from Ravascletto and offers stunning views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
The town also makes a fine base for summertime hiking, when the ski slopes are no longer blanketed with snow but with wildflowers. Near the summit of Monte Zoncolan, at an altitude of over 5,100 feet, hikers can stop for a bite to eat at Malga Pozôf. Malghe (plural of “malga”) are dairy farms situated high in the mountains, where cows are herded to spend their summer months, grazing in tranquil Alpine pastures. While all malghe typically produce cheese, some, like Pozôf, double as an agriturismo, serving meals and snacks to hungry visitors.
Val Degano
The Val Degano begins at Villa Santina (in the Val Tagliamento) and stretches north along the Degano River. One of the first towns we reach is Raveo, perched at the top of Monte Sorantri. The town is known for the popular “S”-shaped cookie, the esse di Raveo, created by a local baker over a century ago.
Just to the north is Ovaro, one of several Carnian towns to have hosted Mondo delle Malghe, a festival dedicated to the region’s malghe and the dairy farmers who operate them. The nearby village of Mione is home to an architectural gem, the Palazzo Micoli Toscano (perhaps better known as the “casa delle cento finestre”). In addition to its striking green-tiled roof, this four-story house features an astounding 107 windows.
To the north near the Austrian border is Forni Avoltri, where the Goccia di Carnia plant bottles the pure spring water of the Degano River. The town is also home to the food festival Festa dei Frutti di Bosco, which celebrates wild berries that grow in the forests of Carnia.
Val Pesarina
Running westward from the Val Degano, the Val Pesarina is almost a continuation of the Valcalda. Though Prato Carnico is considered to be the main town of the Val Pesarina, nearby Pesariis may be more widely known. Often called the “village of clocks,” Pesariis is home to the Fratelli Solari company, manufacturer of clocks since 1725. Their most famous innovation, the analog flipboard, is used in airports and train stations worldwide. The town’s Museo dell’Orologeria Pesarina holds a collection of over one hundred clocks from various time periods, giving a lesson in the history of clock making, from old-fashioned pendulum clocks to modern digital clocks. Outdoors, a walking itinerary called the Monumental Clock-Making Route leads visitors on a path through town, past a series of giant clocks and sundials. These original pieces include a carillon clock, a water turbine clock, the clock of planets, a nocturnal clock with planisphere (star chart), the giant chessboard clock, a calendar clock, and several sundials.
Val Lumiei
This valley extends from Ampezzo (in the Val Tagliamento) northwestward to Sauris. This road is perhaps the most hair-raising in all of Carnia, with dark tunnels boring through the mountainside, bridges suspended over a turquoise lake, and hairpin turns winding ever higher to the summit. To be precise, Sauris actually consists of two towns. The upper town, Sauris di Sopra, boasts the highest altitude of any Carnian town at 4,600 feet. The lower town, Sauris di Sotto, is best known as the home of Prosciuttificio Wolf Sauris, a factory that has been producing hams and other salumi since the 1960s. Every summer, these two towns host the Festa del Prosciutto, a festival dedicated to the local Wolf Sauris prosciutto. In the winter, much like Forni di Sopra and Ravascletto, Sauris transforms into a popular destination for skiers.
