Carnia is a wonderful region not least because its landscape is still not very anthropised. Therefore a fine balance has been created between people and nature, perhaps unwittingly, a balance rarely seen in other mountain areas. Carnia is still an island of authenticity. I’d always spent my summer holidays here in the mountains’ warm embrace ever since I was a boy, but only last summer did I realise that it was an embrace of pure love, like a mother’s love for her now-adult child; words are unnecessary, the energy is all in that gesture.

Twenty stages took me, on my mountain-bike, on a loop trail of some 300 km through the valleys of Carnia from Imponzo (Tolmezzo) to the Pieve di San Pietro (Zuglio). This land deserves to be visited discreetly, quietly, so a bicycle is a big help. You have to proceed with respect and humility, otherwise its gradients could punish you.

I discovered villages where time has stopped, where there are traces of a distant past, where the people who still live in these villages have resisted change and therefore the ancient alpine traditions haven’t sunk into oblivion. Villages where the water in the fountains is always cool, which is very important for us cyclists! Village squares where children play, childhood memories that live on here. You always meet friendly, smiling people ready to say hello and have a chat, leaving you with the traditional salutation of Friuli, mandi.

I breathed in the perfume of fir woods, kilometre after kilometre among the trees. No cars, only oxygen. I listened to the voice of the woods as it accompanied me on the toughest climbs and I enjoyed its shade. Occasionally its voice joined the chorus of the sparkling waters which descend from the peaks, eventually to merge in that great, magnificent river, the Tagliamento.

I tasted alpine-dairy cheese and craft beer; in fact you go by several malghe, or alpine dairies. The dairyman’s life is a hard one, there’s never a minute’s rest. But the fruit of his work is something special. When you bite into a chunk of cheese you savour the flavour of the mountains, of mountain meadows filled with wild flowers. He’s somewhat like an alchemist: it’s not easy to turn simple ingredients into something so good. Pure water gushes from the springs of Carnia and is used for many craft beers, which are a great way of reintegrating the mineral salts and amino acids you lose while cycling. But go easy!

I saw 15th-century frescoes in the wonderful little church of San Martino in Socchieve or in the church of San Floriano (declared a national monument in 1905) in Forni di Sopra. Not forgetting outstandingly important archaeological digs, such as the Col di Zuca near Invillino or the San Martino di Ovaro archaeological site. I cycled over 2000-year-old cobblestones. The thrill you feel when you know you’re travelling on roads built by the Ancient Romans is indescribable. The Via Julia Augusta went from glorious Aquileia to Iulium Carnicum (Zuglio) before proceeding up the Monte Croce Carnico Pass. A good stretch between Cercivento and Cleulis has been restored and is open.

And to think that a hundred years ago they fought the Great War here, where I’m now enjoying myself. In Timau, one of the stages, there’s a World War I museum and the famous Ossuary Temple with the remains of more than 1700 soldiers (including some Austro-Hungarian soldiers) who fell on the Carnic front. This is also the resting place of Maria Plozner Mentil, a Carnic porter, Gold Medal for Military Valour. She was killed by gunfire on 15 February 1916 near Malpasso, just above Timau, and died the following day.

All this while riding my bike, always in the company of good friends, because if you share the effort it becomes a pleasure and the steep slopes you encounter become easy to tackle. This trail isn’t a competition to see who’ll finish in the shortest time possible; indeed, I’d advise you not to hurry. Too often, cyclists keep their eyes on their handlebars to avoid wasting time. But on the Pievi Trail the stopwatch is less important than the many things Carnia has to offer you. You can make short detours from the marked route and go on the internal roads through the villages, perhaps even stopping for a coffee and a slice of cake.

There’s no age limit for this adventure. Pedal assisted bikes (the famous e-bikes) make this route possible for the “advanced in years”, too, even the tougher stages. The main thing is to know something about the mountain-bike world because there are, nonetheless, some technically challenging stretches.

Technical notes: 300 km complete original route with 11,500m elevation gain spread over 20 stages. I combined a few of the stages and did it in 15. I took public transport in a couple of places to avoid the long journey to the start of a stage or a return trip.

Essential equipment

The usual MTB gear: helmet, goggles, gloves, backpack, clothing suitable for the mountains, insect repellent, sun cream, lights and a hi-vis vest (you go through a few tunnels).

Along the Trail you’ll find several MTB-related commercial activities, which are a valid help if you need repairs or transport or to rent equipment, including e-bikes. One last thing: the: il Carnia Pievi Trail is mainly a religious route, a pilgrimage to all intents and purposes. Therefore, it should be approached with the appropriate respect, for ourselves first and foremost and, secondly, for the pilgrims, be they cyclists or pedestrians, believers or non-believers and, thirdly, for the natural and human environment around us.