Tarvisio: to Coccau along the former Roman road

I will lead you along the ancient Roman road that runs silently and tortuously parallel to the centre of Tarvisio as far as the village of Coccau, the last in Italy before the Austrian border, to reach a restaurant where we often meet with friends.

“You’re crazy! You’re not really going to walk along there at night, in the dark, are you?!”

These are what my friends often say, but I don’t take heed: I have walked along there, torch in hand, in the middle of the woods beneath starry skies and a full moon (which often illuminates almost all of the way as brightly as by day) a lot of times.

I cannot describe the silent peace, the smell of the forest, the spectacular views below and above me. The road runs in the upper part of the valley and therefore especially at night you can see lights in millions. Just as I cannot describe the joy of clearing the mind; walking through this sparkling air frees the mind and the spirit. You are swept away by nature, by its sounds, and not by the confusion generated by the thoughts you have in mind.

The other day, thanks to a cloudy day that is an invitation to do a tour of the huts rather than the ski slopes, I dressed and off i went! I wanted to do this walk of about 8 kilometres round trip, looking at it with daytime eyes and discovering new emotions.

On the way, I see a plaster Snow White and the seven dwarfs covered in snow in a garden, a wooden man carved by who knows what skilled hands guarding the immense pines and colourful murals that I see on the wall of a home.

I see meadows made immaculate by the snow in which I threw myself down like a child, I hear the tolling of the bell that punctuates my steps, and note the now-closed “Bar del turista” with its 1950s sign... who knows how many stopped here. I see some goats and kids in an enclosure that run beating to greet me... I experience an excellent salami eaten from the tip of a knife with a good glass of red wine that I offered myself at the restaurant before turning back, which was well deserved for its goodness and for my effort. There were also dumplings, guanciale and more on offer... but in theory after the holidays one should be on a diet!