10 minute read
19 MARANO LAGUNARE > SANTUARIO DI CASTELMONTE Ve 27/05/22
MARANO LAGUNARE - SANTUARIO DI CASTELMONTE
Medium mountain stage with some pitfalls, a section abroad and summit finish. The course starts in Marano Lagunare and runs on Udine’s morainic hills. Past Buja, the peloton must deal with the Julian Pre-Alps, clear the Tanamea Pass, then enter Slovenia toward Kobarid and climb the Kolovrat on an unprecedented side. Back to Italy, the finish – uphill – is reached at the Sanctuary of Castelmonte.
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START
MARANO LAGUNARE>UDINE >FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
The stage sets off in Marano Lagunare, ancient village that was part of the Venetian Republic for almost 400 years. According to scholars, the birth of Marano is linked to the origins of Aquileia: the first documented historical information dates back to 590, when it was chosen by the then patriarch of Aquileia as the seat of a synod. The old town is built in a characteristic ‘herringbone’ pattern, with a central street from
Millennial tower. which calli and small squares branch off. The central square, known as the ‘Granda’, is named after Vittorio Emanuele II and is the hub of the historic centre. Here some notable landmarks include the so-called “Millenaria” Tower –symbol of Marano – which dominates the centre with its 32 metres of height; next to it the Loggia, dating back to the 15th century and, on the other side of the square, stands the Palazzo dei Provveditori, the seat of the ancient rulers. Adjacent to the historic centre is the Valle Canal Novo Nature Reserve. Visiting the lagoon environment, one finds another naturalistic treasure: the 1377-hectare protected area of the Regional Nature Reserve “Foci dello Stella”. The undisputed king of traditional Marano cuisine is bisato in speo, eel cooked on a wooden spit over a direct fire for hours and seasoned with bay leaves and salt. Another traditional dish is boreto alla maranese, made from various species of fish that could not be traded because they were ruined during fishing. Also famous are the fried molecche, which is nothing more than a moulting crab covered in soft, velvety skin, raw fish caught locally or sold at the local fish market (the largest fresh fish market in Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and various types of bivalve molluscs: fasolari (sea squid), vongole veraci (clams), peverasse (lupine clams) and scallops. The Marano area is part of the “Friuli Annia” DOC zone, where the lagoon comes close to the vines, which sink their roots into the clayey soil with high salinity, giving the grapes an original flavour and giving life to great white
wines such as Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana, Pinot Bianco and Grigio, Sauvignon and the typical Friulano (formerly Tocai), to finish with aromatic Traminer and Verduzzo Friulano. The panorama of red wines is also very important and includes Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Refosco dal peduncolo rosso..
The climb up Castelmonte, on the San Leonardo side, was included in the Giro for the first time in the 16th stage in 2020. The first to reach the summit was Giovanni Visconti.
KM 3
MUZZANA DEL TURGNANO>UDINE >FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
The course continues in low Friulian plain, albeit slightly uphill, and runs through Muzzana del Turgnano – home to some lowland woods, the remains of a very ancient forest – in an area where a prized variety of white truffle appreciated by chefs all over the world is grown, and then Castions di Strada – with the 13th-century church of San Martino, later rebuilt in the 16th century, and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, founded at the time of Patriarch Paolino di Aquileia and then destroyed and rebuilt several times until it reached its current form in the 16th century. Then the riders enter immediately Mortegliano, a farming town with the highest belfry in Italy (113.2 The parish church metres high, of Muzzana del Turgnano. in exposed reinforced concrete, inaugurated in 1959), and race past Lestizza, where heart-shaped centre houses courtyards are enclosed by traditional arches, and San Marco, a hamlet of Mereto di Tomba.
KM 40
CICONICCO > UDINE > FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
Over 100 metres above sea level the route runs through Ciconicco and Fagagna – dominated by a castle that already existed in the 10th century and where the Fagagna PAT cheese (typical food product) is produced. The declaration of war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire was signed in Fagagna on 24th May 1915. The northward course begins to steer eastwards around Udine, passing through Majano. Here, in San Tomaso, there is a place rich in historical memories. It is the Romanesque church of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, seemingly built in the early years of the hospital (founded in 1199) to which it was attached.
KM 55
BUJA > UDINE > FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
Then, it is time for the riders to fight for the sprint points in Buja. Buja is an old town lying in Friuli hills with several hamlets, including Monte with the church of San Lorenzo Martire, built in the site of a 6th-century church. Past Buja, the course runs through Artegna – with the hill of San Martino, which includes the parish church and castle, the small church of San Martino and the small church of Santo Stefano in Clama that stands at the foot of Mount Faet – and Magnano in Riviera, which owes its name “in riviera” to the distribution of the settlement on the slope of a hill. From Tarcento, lying on the slopes of Mount Chiampeon, Mount Stella and Mount Bernadia, the hinge between the upper Torre Valley and the foothills of the Julian Pre-Alps, begins a more testing climb. In Tarcento,
Buja Castle.
every year on the 5th and 6th January, the Friulian Epiphany is celebrated amidst fiery cart races and large propitiatory bonfires, the pignarûi.
KM 74
VILLANOVA GROTTE > UDINE > FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
The course takes in the 3rd category climb up to Villanova Grotte, 641 metres above sea level. Villanova delle Grotte is a hamlet in the territory of Lusevera and owes its name to three caves stretching over more than
Villanova Caves. 7 kilometres that attract both speleologists and tourists. One of them, the Grotta Nuova, is the largest in Italy and can be visited with a guide between March and November. The area of Lusevera spreads over the entire upper valley of the Torre River. It seems that the name derives from a statement made by Julius Caesar, who stayed in a village (still called Cesariis) and who, seeing some houses in the village particularly well lit by the sun, christened them “Lux vera” (true light). Nevertheless, Musi – a hamlet of Lusevera – is the rainiest place in Italy (with peaks of more than 3,500 millimetres per year). Past Vedronza – another hamlet with the municipal seat – and a tunnel, the race approaches the Slovenian border.
KM 94
PASSO DI TANAMEA > UDINE > FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
Second 3rd-category climb up to the Tanamea Pass (870 metres above sea level) in the Julian Pre-Alps. The pass marks the divide between the Mea stream, a tributary of the Torre River, and the Bianco stream, which descends towards the Isonzo valley. Soon after, the route crosses the Italian-Slovenian border and reaches Žaga, in the upper valley of the River Isonzo – a hamlet in the municipality of Bovec (Plezzo, in Italian), and then Trnovo ob Soči (Ternova d’Isonzo) – a hamlet in the municipality of Kobarid (Caporetto, in Italian). Kobarid is famous for being the scene of the Battle of Caporetto in the First World War (24 October-27 November 1917) between the Italians and the Austrians. The battle ended with the defeat of the Italian army that retreated as far as the Piave River. The shrine of St Anthony houses the remains of more than 7,000 Italian soldiers who died during the war and is the only one that is not on Italian soil (the remains of Italian soldiers who died on Slovenian soil were mostly transferred to the Redipuglia and Oslavia ossuaries). From Kobarid the course starts climbing again through Livek (Luico), not far from the crest between Mount Kolovrat and Mount Matajur.
Pass of Tanamea.
KM 134
KOLOVRAT > SLOVENIA
It is time to take in the 1st-category climb leading to the 1145-metre high Kolovrat, an unprecedented ascent in the Giro d’Italia. During the Great War, the area was the responsibility of the 2nd Army of the Italian army, which had set up an elaborate defence system there. In the Battle of Caporetto the Italian defence line was broken by German troops led by the then Lieutenant Erwin Rommel, who would later be known as the “Desert Fox”. In this area the Kolovrat Open-Air Museum “the third Italian defence line” is worth a visit.
Kolovrat museum trench.
From Kolovrat the course runs down toward the Italian border.
KM 168
Past Tribil Superiore, the peloton reaches Stregna, a municipality that includes 21 hamlets and villages all featuring the architectural style typical of the slavic culture, such as the houses with wooden balconies. Near Stregna is the 15th-century parish church of San Paolo Apostolo, in Cernetig. A passage through Merso di Sopra – a hamlet of San Leonardo – and Ponte San Quirino leads to Cividale del Friuli, where the intermediate sprint is set. Cividale del Friuli was founded by Julius Cesar with the name Forum Iulii (hence the toponym ‘Friuli’). Later, Cividale became the capital of the first Lombard duchy in Italy and then the seat of the patriarchs of Aquileia. This art city preserves assets included in the UNESCO World Heritage List with the serial site “The Lombards in Italy. The places of power (568-774 A.D.)”. In the historical centre notable landmarks include the monastery of Santa Maria in Valle with the extraordinary Lombard Temple, the Cristian Museum and the Treasure of the Cathedral (with the altar built by Duke Ratchis and the baptistery of the patriarch Callisto) and, last but not least, the National Archeological Museum. Characteristic of Cividale is the famous Ponte del Diavolo (Devil’s Bridge), built in stone starting in 1442 and divided into two 22.5-metre-high arches. The Cividale cuisine is rich in traditional food products (Colli Orientali olive oil, latteria cheese, grappa) and typical old recipes, such as the famous gubana, an oven-baked cake made of sweet leavened dough with a filling of walnuts, sultanas, pine nuts, sugar, grappa and lemon peel. Cividale is the territory of DOC “Friuli Colli Orientali” and DOCG “Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit” wines.
Panorama of Cividale del Friuli.
FINISH
Past Carraria the route leads up the 2nd-category climb to the finish line at the Sanctuary of Castelmonte (612 metres above sea level) in the territory of Prepotto. The sanctuary of the Beata Vergine di Castelmonte arose from a castelliere, a sort of fortified protohistoric village. Its transformation into a Christian shrine and then a fortified church dates to the 13th century. Today it is a very popular place attracting worshippers from the Triveneto region as well as Austria and Slovenia. Prepotto is a municipality where wine-tasting and slow tourism are a mainstay of the economy. The typical cuisine has been strongly influenced by history and exchange with neighbouring populations. One of its iconic dishes is undoubtedly frico, which is prepared using the scraps and remains of Friulian cheeses mixed with potatoes and onions. Also very important is white or yellow cornmeal polenta, which in the toc’ in braide dish is accompanied by a cream of Friulian cheese or a sausage ragout. Among the wines, Schioppettino stands out as the indigenous red grape variety that competes with the region’s white varieties, especially in the Prepotto area
Campanile Sanctuary of Castelmonte.
and the Judrio Valley, as recognised by the ‘Schioppettino di Prepotto’ sub-zone of the ‘Friuli Colli Orientali’ DOC label.
