70

km

32

stops

100

duration

Itinerary 2, the longest of the five routes in the Paîs di Rustic Amour proposition, spans approximately 70 kilometres. This route strategically avoids urban centres, offering visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the region's natural beauty and agricultural landscapes. The route begins on the border between Spilimbergo and Sequals, near the San Zenone hill with its charming namesake chapel. From this starting point, the route meanders through several picturesque locales: San Giorgio della Richinvelda, San Martino al Tagliamento, Valvasone Arzene, and Casarsa della Delizia. After a brief traverse through Fiume Veneto, the itinerary culminates in Chions, specifically at the historic village of Panigai—a site steeped in history, once home to an ancient castle that has since vanished. As one progresses along the route, the landscape undergoes a captivating transformation. Alluvial deposits from the Tagliamento and Meduna rivers characterise the northern segment. Upon approaching Casarsa, travellers enter the Risorgive (resurgence) zone, an area celebrated for its abundant water springs. Throughout the journey, the agricultural landscape is defined by a patchwork of vineyards and neatly cultivated fields, offering a glimpse into the region's rich farming tradition. The southern segment of the route showcases scenic waterways enveloped in lush vegetation. This area, formerly dominated by wetlands with their distinct ecosystem, still retains vestiges of its unique natural heritage, providing visitors with insights into the region's ecological history.

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Route Track
San Zenone hill - Itinerary 2 departure

San Zenone hill - Itinerary 2 departure

The last of the hills

The reference point near the start is the hill of San Zenone, a small isolated hill, the last of the hills that enliven the panorama between Meduna and Tagliamento

Stable meadows

Stable meadows

A precious reservoir of biodiversity

Herbaceous formations, made up of a large number of spontaneous plant species, which have never undergone tillage and are maintained only with mowing operations and possible fertilization

Church of San Biagio

Church of San Biagio

A church the community eagerly awaited

There is little information on the church dedicated to Saint Blaise, except for an unflattering passage about the inhabitants of Istrago in the 15th century, who were excommunicated for failing to pay the required tithes. The main façade features a stone portal with elegant lines and an inscription on the architrave, acknowledging that the building was commissioned by the people (PIETAS POPUL. EREXIT).

Istrago Mill

Istrago Mill

The mysterious mill

The Istrago mill lies along the so-called "Lestans" canal, derived in an unspecified period from the Cosa torrent, once a very important source of energy for the economic activities of the area.

Airship Hangar

Airship Hangar

The bombers of the Great War

Built in 1916, the hangar stands as a testament to the early days of aviation and remained operational until the breakthrough at Caporetto. It was complemented by various support facilities, including a hydrogen production laboratory. Today, the vast structure's remnants, visible from kilometres away, include the floor, traces of the steel door tracks, and the concrete anchorage embankments of the large shed.

Magredi of Tauriano

Magredi of Tauriano

A steppe in the heart of Friuli

This semi-flat region, historically used by local villagers for grazing cattle, presents a unique natural environment characterised by dry, steppe-like grasslands interspersed with mature hedges and small groves. The area serves as a nesting ground for hen harriers, peregrine falcons, marsh owls, and grey shrikes. Interestingly, the wolf, a former resident, has recently returned.

Church of St. Roch in Tauriano

Church of St. Roch in Tauriano

The church atop the protohistoric mound

In 1506, the Confraternity of Saint Roch of Tauriano, engaged in the fight against plagues (which were frequent at the time), acquired a family’s roccolo, a wooden hut used for bird hunting, to build a small church dedicated to the saint. Located at the village entrance on routes to Spilimbergo and Istrago, the building likely served both sacred functions and as a place for the care and isolation of the afflicted.

Church of St. Nicolò in Tauriano

Church of St. Nicolò in Tauriano

The frescoes that reappeared with the earthquake

The Church of San Nicolò, established in 1293, has been remodelled several times over the centuries, now featuring a neo-Gothic façade. The apse frescoes, created in 1502 by Gianpietro da Spilimbergo, are particularly remarkable, depicting narratives from the saint's life. Distinctive architectural elements include two domed side chapels. Moreover, the distinguished painter Umberto Martina contributed significantly to its artistic landscape in the early 20th century.

Martina-Indri palace

Martina-Indri palace

The symbol of the new social status

In an exclusively agricultural context in the eighteenth century the Martina family took on a bourgeois character and wanted to represent it in the town by building a building that had an urban and not rural character

Chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel (also Wayside shrine of San Cristoforo)

Chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel (also Wayside shrine of San Cristoforo)

900 kilometres on foot!

The chapel comprises two distinct parts: a 16th-century barrel-vaulted apse and a welcoming porch. Inside, the walls are entirely covered in sacred frescoes. Particularly captivating are the many inscriptions left by Eastern European travellers, who likely took the Via Regia route—a journey of 900 kilometres from Lublin to Tauriano—possibly as they headed to the universities of Padua or Bologna!

Stable meadows area

Stable meadows area

The meadows and hedges

Descending from Tauriano towards Barbeano you come across some interesting fragments of stable meadows still well preserved within a landscape of closed fields

Tina Farmhouse and great reorganized plains

Tina Farmhouse and great reorganized plains

A testimony of change

In the twentieth century, the territories of the great plain underwent profound restructuring actions to make arid soil productive. First of all, at the beginning of the 1950s, actions became indispensable to bring mountain water into territories that only had small canals from the Middle Ages or slightly later.

Church of St. Mary and St. Joseph

Church of St. Mary and St. Joseph

One-of-a-kind Nativity

Built in the mid-19th century, the church replaced the old parish church by the Meduna stream. Pietro Costantini, the grandfather of Cardinal Celso Costantini, oversaw the construction. The interior features valuable artworks, including a large 20th-century painting of the Nativity and a 17th-century altarpiece by Ravenna painter Matteo Ingoli.

Church of St. John

Church of St. John

A disputed church

The location on the border between Rauscedo and Domanins in the twentieth century was the cause of strong tensions between the two communities. The dispute resulted in a general brawl, when punches and slaps flew and the two parish priests barely managed to calm things down. The situation was resolved only in 1950.

Old cultivated riverbed

Old cultivated riverbed

Flood protection

One of the historic branches of the Meduna disappeared in the mid-20th century to ward off floods from Rauscedo and Domanins.

Lime kiln

Lime kiln

Example of industrial archaeology

In the distance the profile of the Ermacora lime kiln emerges. The furnace is an important testimony to the practices linked to the presence of very pure aggregate along the river.

Cold War Powder Keg

Cold War Powder Keg

Fear of the Soviet advance

After the Second World War the entire Tagliamento line was built with bunkers and military works that were supposed to counter the hypothesized arrival of the Soviet armored columns. The line in this area was manned by the Arrest Battalions which were based in Arzene and to the west there was the large powder magazine.

Church of St. Lawrence

Church of St. Lawrence

The church with the chained she-devil

Completely restored after the 1976 earthquake, the church houses numerous images of saints painted by the faithful as a vow. However, an unusual depiction of a she-devil near the side door captures the viewer's attention. She is black and hairy, with horns and bat-like wings, pendulous breasts, and is shown in the act of defecating. She appears to want to seize souls with her claws but is restrained by a chain. This image serves as a reminder of the devastating Black Death plague of 1348.

Birthplace of Harry Bertoia

Birthplace of Harry Bertoia

Where Bertoia, the eclectic genius, was born

The home of Arieto, aka Harry Bertoia is easily recognisable. It features a typical rural design with exposed stonework, a low arch, an inner courtyard, and a stable, all accentuated by striking red-painted shutters. The artist was born here in 1915 and spent his childhood soaking in experiences that would later inspire and fuel his artistic journey. Today, while preserving the original structure, the house has been beautifully transformed into an exhibition centre.

Invisible Roman Artefacts

Invisible Roman Artefacts

Ancient funerary area

The area between Arzene, Maiaroff and San Lorenzo has revealed over time a notable concentration of finds from the Roman period. The first discoveries occurred between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when coins, mosaic tiles, amphorae and ceramics were recovered.

Majaroff Mill

Majaroff Mill

The Fairy Mill

It is a historic mill, once owned by the Counts of Valvasone, situated on the Roggia dei Mulini. Originally, it had three water wheels for grinding wheat and barley, which were later replaced by a turbine. Over the centuries, it has been modified multiple times and underwent a historical restoration in 1976. According to old folk tales, fairies would magically appear here in the evening, playfully tricking the wagon drivers, and disappear at the sound of the morning Ave Maria bells.

St. Anne's capital

St. Anne's capital

Protection against wolves

Saint Anne, to whom the small field chapel is dedicated, was a beloved saint in the wolf-infested countryside. Up until the 18th century, wolves posed a real threat, particularly to children who were in charge of leading the flocks to pasture. Until quite recently, the chapel was a cherished devotional destination for women from all over the area who gathered here to pray the rosary and seek blessings for milk after childbirth.

Via Postumia

Via Postumia

The ancient connection between Genoa and Venice

The Via Postumia was a Roman consular road built in 148 BC. by the Roman consul Postumius Albinus, who crossed the entire Po Valley, at the time called Cisalpine Gaul. The road extended for 634 miles, approximately 932 km, connecting the two main ports of the time in the northern Mediterranean (Genoa and Aquileia) and connecting cities such as Tortona, Piacenza, Cremona, Verona and Vicenza.

Church of St. Margaret in Sile

Church of St. Margaret in Sile

On the far edge of the territory

In the Casarsa area, the village farthest to the west is Sile. This is where Roman-era artefacts were found. The local community of observants is connected to the neighbouring parish of Orcenico Inferiore di Zoppola. The Church of Santa Margherita serves as a key venue for significant events, such as the festival held at the beginning of summer.

Church of St. Andrew the Apostle

Church of St. Andrew the Apostle

The Church of a Thousand Faces

The church in Taiedo represents the period from the late 19th to early 20th centuries when larger places of worship became necessary due to expanding communities. It is a fascinating blend of old and new, as not everything was replaced. Romanesque lines intertwine with neo-Gothic elements, and a bell tower of uncertain date is positioned directly above the façade, contributing to the church's multifaceted architectural setting.

Villa Metz-Marzola

Villa Metz-Marzola

The villa and the silkworm factories

The manor house dates back to the 16th century and underwent extensive renovation between 1871-1872, the absolute testimony of which is given by the north façade. On that occasion Enrico Metz built the other two buildings.

Villa Morassutti in Chions

Villa Morassutti in Chions

Building from the second half of the 18th century

The complex dates back to the second half of the 18th century. The main body is probably earlier than the sides which appear to have been added later with particular elegance in the choice of stone decorations.

Church of St. George and the Centa

Church of St. George and the Centa

On the hunt for the dragon

When you enter the parish church in the main town, look for the fresco dedicated to the patron saint. It shows him striking the dragon from the saddle of his steed, following the typical hagiography. Like the others in the church, this early 16th-century fresco was made by a painter from the school of Andrea Bellunello, whose influences are clearly evident.

Villa Perotti

Villa Perotti

Un modello ottocentesco di casa padronale

The villa has a rectangular plan, and is made up of three floors above ground, concluded by a very projecting frame. The classic shape of the facade remains unchanged

Villa Azzano

Villa Azzano

A rhythmic villa

The villa dates back to the 19th century and has a main body with a rectangular plan which is spread over three floors. The façade is divided into three parts, thanks to a play of volumes, because the central body projects slightly and is surmounted by a triangular tympanum.

Villa Cossetti

Villa Cossetti

A villa and several interventions

Following the numerous renovations that have taken place over the years and which have changed its volume. The villa, probably dating back to the first half of the eighteenth century, has a tripartite façade with three floors and whose central body is surmounted by a triangular tympanum

Panigai Castle - Itinerary 2 arrival

Panigai Castle - Itinerary 2 arrival

The remains of an ancient castle

A point of reference near the end of the itinerary is the castle of Panigai, built in medieval times to defend the western borders of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. Destroyed already at the beginning of the 16th century, other more elegant and less martial buildings have found their place on the site

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