Alice Baron
Discovering Santa Margherita del Gruagno
16Nov2021
An easy start, towards the Crosis waterfall
We were about halfway up. To our right was the water of the Torre torrent, which the skill of Arturo Malignani exploited through the construction of a dam and its reservoir between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The Crosis waterfall is artificial: with its 38- metre drop, it is apparently the highest artificial waterfall in Italy.
The waterfall has emerald reflections
A silk effect is assured for photographers. We are back on the road in the car, following the Torre, which tumbles and cascades between the white limestone boulders. Another stop further north, so we can reach the crystal clear waters. We have fun jumping from rock to rock like chamois, believing ourselves acrobatics as we feel our way along well-laid wooden walkways. In a fenced-in, disused little house there was a window where passersby had laid a heart-shaped plait.
Well-anchored wooden walkways
We were close to the mixed forest, in the Alta Val Torre, bordered to the north by Val Resia, to the east by Slovenia and the district of Taipana, to the south by the country towns of Tarcento and Nimis and the Friulian plains, and to the west by the mountains of Gemona and Venzone. An enchanting setting. There were few colours in mid-March this year: the white of the stone, the green edges between the impetuous splashes, stylised branches and trees, small fields of crocuses looking like lavender in flower.
Primroses and crocuses
In the villages, the well-kept gardens were already green, some with stone statues showing a relaxed pose or funny fall. A good master with the paintbrush would have been welcome, as the site inspired a new impressionism en plein air. The Prealpi Giulie Regional Nature Park is only about thirty kilometres from Udine, yet it looked light years away from the big town.
We filled our souls with that silence, breathing wide spaces. Arriving at snow on the Pian dei Ciclamini, we turned around and went back to Sedilis. In the centre, we had to change down to tackle steep and narrow roads, and up on the climb along the narrow road to the sanctuary of the Madonna della Pace, of which it is said in the Friulian tongue that fas di sintinele a La pas..di dut il Friul, segnal di union dai popui: it is the sentinel to peace of all Friuli, a sign of union between peoples.
Here we enjoyed a wide view and saw a paraglider swinging by. At 800 metres, peace and silence, a few bikers and ‘slow’ tourists, a couple of dogs on the leash. As we read on the signs, the valley offers opportunities for various sports: mtb and rock climbing, walks in the woods, hiking on mountain trails, permanent circular paths, which are for the moment unique in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Full of a wealth of images, we set off home once more, while the full moon rose between the steeples as evening fell.
Alice Baron
Marina Del Colle
Francesco Nguyen
Michele Angelicchio
