Carnia: a journey between tradition and natural beauty

To the discovery of the wonders of Friulian Carnia among multi-building hotels, typical dishes, and local crafts

Good morning, friends! This winter I got a call from Visit Zoncolan and I was thrilled! That call was in fact the beginning of a wonderful collaboration that took me to visit Carnia: it was a trip that took place over several months. I went to the towns of Comeglians, Ovaro, Paluzza, Ravascletto, Sutrio and Treppo-Ligosullo.

That's it, I knew it, some of you already are breaking cold sweats to the prospect of having to read a very long tale that not even Dante could write. I will reassure you right away, because I wisely decided to break this concentration of experiences into two articles. You’re safe!

So today we start in Sutrio, and we take a quick ride to Ravascletto and Arta Terme.

I stayed in one of the lodgings provided by Albergo Diffuso in Sutrio, which is a perfect synthesis of warm welcome and recovery: here, old spaces such as stables and houses return to their former glory while being given a new purpose. This multi-building hotel consists of thirty apartments suitable for couples and families, located either in the center of Sutrio or surrounded by nature... you will instantly feel part of this community. Breakfast is presented in a basket which gathers all of the local flavors: it will make your days begin in the best possible way and will prepare you at best for your excursions with Visit Zoncolan.

In Sutrio, you can also stay at Cjase da Alvise, a wonderful hotel that blends stone, wood, and modernity, complete with a private spa and a spectacular Osteria where I promise your taste buds will go crazy. The kitchen offers traditional Carnic dishes as well as more modern courses, starring excellent game dishes.

On the other hand, if you prefer to go up in altitude and stay in a real alpine village, you can stay at the Dolomiti Village in Ravascletto. Here you can stay in one of their twenty chalets or in their tree house, book your wellness hours in the spa, and eat at the restaurant (where charcoal grills and typical dishes such as cjarsons and venison rule unchallenged).

When in these parts, if you’re looking for a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree offer, you can also find four apartments run by the Albergo Diffuso Comeglians.

Shall we go back to Sutrio? This place, I warn you, has a calendar richly filled with events that go all year round: click here to know them all!

To those of you who love good food, I also recommend the Enoteca "Il Marangon" where you can choose between a good aperitif or a nice meal made with really great meat.

If you’re looking for something more classic, the Hotel del Negro is the one for you. In addition to the rooms there’s also a very good restaurant that offers typical dishes, from meat to trout raised right in this valley.

Let’s continue our tour with Randis Farmhouse, where you can have excellent cjarsons while looking through a window at the horses in the stable! You read that right! Here, they also have a wonderful riding school that offers lessons for novices, riding tours in the woods, and a summer camp for kids in the hot season. Yet, that's not the end of this story: four country-style rooms are ready to welcome you for a truly fantastic experience.

There are plenty of things to do here, from skiing on Mount Zoncolan to snowshoeing, to night or day-time, guided hikes for only 15 euros. To learn about the full range of your options, check out this link (click here, come on!). What do you say? Which one did I choose? Well, your Miss was seduced by the Pramosio Forest, a truly beautiful place. It was a crazy adventure!

There are so many options you can choose from, from walks suitable for everyone to those for more experienced hikers, ranging in price from 15 to 50 euros per couple or group. Again, it’s pointless for me to give you an endless list. Click here and make your own personal choice.

However, while speaking of Sutrio, I really can't not dedicate a few lines to the artistic craftsmanship of Nicola with his Woonik, a very ambitious project that offers handcrafted bags made with wood and leather. Take a look on the website to better understand of what I’m talking about. Woonik was born almost as a joke during the pandemic! Local and reclaimed woods, such as oakwood and walnut wood, are used to create these truly unique bags; upon request from the client they also use African ebony wood, Indian rosewood, cherrywood and more, which can be colored to the customer's liking. They clearly don’t start from solid wood but from very thin, little sheets (less than a millimeter thick!) glued on top of each other: we are talking about raw material that comes from certified forests and has a very low environmental impact. The bags, this is a plus, are not painted with acrylic but oiled with natural oil. The results of this process are amazing.

This tidbit closes the first part of my Carnic tale. Soon I’ll be back with volume 2 and who knows how many things I will tell you... for now I leave you with some healthy suspense.

Ciao!

Ph Michele Grimz