Castelmonte Loop Ride

July 4, 2024

I had a more ambitious goal for today than yesterday - a ride into the Julian Prealps using a route I'd found on PisteCicilabili. It was a loop ride that passed by Castelmonte, a place I knew nothing about but it sounded like it might be an interesting place with viewpoints.

It was overcast when I set out, initially retracing the walking route I took yesterday. I quickly realized that the cobbled streets of the Gastaldaga were a poor cycling surface and was happy when I reached the pavement. The route passed through Sanguarzo and Ponte San Quirino on SS54 and crossed the Natisone River in Ponte San Quirino. For the next several miles I continued through a string of Friuli towns on progressively smaller provincial roads. The terrain was flat as i rolled along, gazing up at clusters of villages visible in sea of green and wondering which, if any, I might pass through.

Crossing the Natisone at Ponte San Quirino

The colorful houses in the Friuli recalled my 2022 trip to Solvenia, and reminded me of just how close I was to the Slovenian border

Gazing up and wondering where exactly my ride will take me

The climbing began shortly after Picig, a series of sharp switchbacks that took me up almost 1000 feet into thick woodlands. The small road was bordered by a mossy stone wall punctuated with remnants of old homesteads – it was a bit like being in a Grimm’s fairy tale though I was nowhere near the Black Forest. I passed through the village of Lesizza and continued on a more gradual climb along the ridge, a magical stretch through the forest that was suddenly interrupted by a Strada Chiusa sign, aka Route Barrée or Road Closed. I naturally ignored it and continued on toward Raune.

The warning turned out to be real – blocked by a bulldozer and heavy equipment in the process of tearing up the road into Raune. I motioned to a young man dressed in orange if I could pass by, and followed him as he walked a narrow strip between the bulldozer and the hillside. I started to follow, but the bulldozer bucket was swinging and the risk of sliding down the hillside too great. While I hesitated, the orange clad boy moved on, with no apparent intention of helping me.

I went to the left side of the bulldozer and saw that the path through was wider but strewn with chunks of asphalt that I would have to climb over. A worker on the other side of the gap spotted me and he immediately alerted the dozer operator to stop swinging the bucket. Not only did he stop the bucket swinging, he jumped out of the cab, picked up Vivien George and carried her safely to solid ground on the far side of the gap, handing her to me with a smile after I’d gingerly picked my way through the asphalt slabs. Such a gentleman.

A few sharp switchbacks is all it took to get me off the valley floor and onto the ridge

Stone steps and a crumbled foundation suggest this was once a home site

I continued the gradual climb along the ridge to Raune - the next town along the route

Occasional gaps in the trees gave glimpses of what might come

This might be a bit tricky. The path on the right might be wide enough for both me and Vivien George, but the dozer bucket kept swinging and the drop off to the right was significant

Vivien George made a new friend in the Raune bus shelter while I took my elevenses break

I continued to gradually climb past Raune, then crossed to another ridge, which was more like a small knob. I soon reached the town of Oblizza and the Santa Maria Maddalena church. I'd spotted the church and it's distinctive steeple at several points on my way to Oblizza, and once in town I climbed up to the small promontory it occupied. The reward was magnificent views down the valley to Cividale and across to the towns of Lesizza and Raune, both of which looked much more populous than my pass-through had suggested.

Leaving Oblizza, I continued along the east side of the knob, stopping to refill my water bottles at a spring-fed fountain. I soon reached the turning point in the loop at Tribil Superiore - the route did not go into the town but continued south along a ridge that paralleled the one I initially came up. I had thought Castelmonte might be in Tribil Superiore, at the turning point of the loop. As I began to ascend the small the hill into the town, however, I was dissuaded by passers-by who told me Castelmonte was to the south. I turned to south, later regretting I did not at least have a look at Tribil Superiore.

Raune looks like a much bigger village from this vantage point

I wasn't sure the water was safe to drink until I spotted the shelf with water glasses and a few books to read while quenching your thirst

There were fewer towns along the eastern ridge but there were occasional high meadows that offered excellent views across the valley to the small towns that marked my morning route. The ride itself was splendid, undulating across the ridge with nothing too steep in either direction. There was no traffic of any kind, and no signs indicating the distance to Castelmonte, where I planned to stop for my picnic lunch. However, I was growing hungry and instead pulled up to a small chapel a short distance off road. The Church of St. Nicholas commemorates the German attack on Mount Saint Nicolo on October 27, 1917, one of many battles that took place in the Natisone valleys during WWI.

A look across the valleys of the Natisone. The village on the far right is Oblizza, with Raune in the back left, beyond the tower I kept seeing all morning

A closer look at Oblizza and it's setting - the higher peaks of the Julian Alps are barely visible through the clouds

The dozer crew in Raune is still at work

The engraved bells of the Church of St. Nicholas

I finally reached Castelmonte – a cluster of buildings sitting on a small hill surrounded by a very large and mostly empty parking lot. There was clearly more to Castelmonte than the castle ruins I had imagined. I rode up the hill to the base of the complex where I did see some castle ruins as well as views across the surrounding foothills, none of which compared with those I’d seen earlier on my ride. An archway beyond the ruins led into the complex of buildings, which I mistakenly assumed were commercial tourist traps. Not interested, I rode back down the hill, continuing through the parking lot to a very steep and serpentine downhill that led me back to Cividale.

I later learned a bit more about Castelmonte, which is also known as Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Castelmonte. It originated as a Roman garrison to defend what is now Cividale from barbarian invasions and soon became a fortified village with a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The chapel grew in importance, becoming a sanctuary and a destination for pilgrimages. Even today, it is a tradition for the people of Friuli to make a pilgrimage to Castelmonte on foot.

I may have missed a chance to visit a sacred sanctuary that houses a Black Madonna, but I had a fantastic day on the bike. I’d choose the bike ride every time. No regrets.

The village of Castelmonte - a popular tourist destination, but not today

Another view of Castelmonte, taken from my walk yesterday

You may better appreciate the topology of the ride using Terrain map view

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Mike AylingThose contours are very close together!
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4 months ago

Jacquie GaudetAnd by clicking on "view full version" which give the metrics in units I understand. Chapeau!
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4 months ago

Susan CarpenterTo Jacquie GaudetThanks Jacquie. Will you be watching the Tour today? It’s going thru some of territory you’ve planned for your volcans tour, I think
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4 months ago

Jacquie GaudetTo Susan CarpenterYes, we will be watching the replay today or tomorrow. As for the tour, I still haven’t decided if it will happen this fall due to other things in life. It’s looking like it would be a solo trip as all my cycling buddies who expressed interest have backed out.
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4 months ago

Today's ride: 28 miles (45 km)
Total: 1,721 miles (2,770 km)

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Kathleen JonesWhat a great ride.
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4 months ago

Rachael AndersonWhat a wonderful day!
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4 months ago