CHASING CANYONS AND THE FOOTPRINTS OF A LIVING LEGEND

ADMIRING ALL THE CHROMATIC NUANCES FROM BLUE TO GREEN
UPON THE ROMANTIC PASSERELLE WHICH CROSSES THE LAKE VERZEGNIS

After running fresh and fast along the SP1, coasting the shadowy canyon of the Arzino creek, and spotting from above the renowned village of Pozzis, we reach the pass of Sella Chianzutan and then we descend towards the romantic Lake of Verzegnis.

A "RING" TRIP OF 94 KM (58 MILES)

Northern Eastern Italy, Carnic Alps, Friuli Venezia Giulia

[Counties of Udine and Pordenone]

26.06.2022

US, HAVING A CONSISTENT BREAKFAST BEFORE EACH AND EVERY ROADTRIP! 

Here we are, ready to go and embrace the wind blowing over the impressive canyon of the Arzino, an hidden and inviting creek, very rich in waterfalls, pools and spinning rapid flowing waters! In this season when all around is hot and dry, the fresh and cool Arzino Valley can seem a mirage! 

The road we take has been labeled as the "ONE" (SP1 = Strada Provinciale numero 1 = County Road Number 1) and it's going to take us very close to a legendary man in the world of bikers: the now internationally known Cocco, and his village, Pozzis. 

First of all we pass through Muris, a district of Ragogna, where a white heart shaped path has been created near the top of the Mountain Muris and it's visible from many points surrounding the area. The message its the creator is: "Remember to use your heart with every thing you do!"

MURIS, RAGOGNA (THE WHITE HEART IS BARELY VISIBLE IN THIS PICTURE),
BUT YOU CAN SEE A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE OF IT HERE:

PICTURE BY "LOVE_FVG"

ROCKCLIMBING WALL IN ANDUINS

ALONG THE SP1

APPROACHING THE BENDS

This place commands awe and respect: when we stop our engines, we hear that the silence is in many points soundly interrupted by the roar of the creek; the dark desert road, carved into the high rocky walls, is constantly covered by the shadows of the mountains and the sunlight make the peaks shine all around, in an amazing contrast of colours!

Just in the middle of two series of steep hairping bends and between two rocky tunnels, there's a street indicating "Pozzis"! We avoid to take it this time, leaving the pleasure for some other circumstance in the future, but we slow down to have a complete and rewarding glimpse of the village that can be defined the cradle of many creative ideas related to motorcycles, film making, road movies, and more!

Pozzis has become famous thanks to "Pozzis, Samarcanda" (2021), a very touching road film, shot by the young director Stefano Giacomuzzi, featuring the quixotic journey of the 73-year-old Alfeo 'Cocco' Carnelutti who travelled on his 1939 Harley Davidson from this remote location of the Carnic Alps all the way to Samarkand, a mysterious city of the Silk Route in the heart of Asia. Yes: Cocco, weird quirky loner biker, motorcycle builder and racer, a man with a troubled past and now the only remaining inhabitant of Pozzis, accomplished his strangest dream in 2019 and rode 8.000 km (almost 5.000 miles) to get to the most fairytale scenario of Uzbekistan. After an outrageous and dramatic journey, he arrived to hit his goal and got to park his old Harley Davidson in the majestic Registan square, the center of Samarkand, to enjoy an exciting and extremely exotic sunrise! The very captivating movie "Pozzis, Samarcanda", showing the entire epic adventure, has been prized as the best documentary at the 8th edition of the International Motor Film Awards in London.

Moreover, here in our Region, Pozzis owes its popularity to the "Cocco-Treffen" an unusual motorcycle annual meeting organised every single summer by Cocco since 1988!

COCCO ON HIS 1939 WL RACE HARLEY DAVIDSON

COCCO'S BIKE IN THE MAIN SQUARE OF SAMARKAND

THE POSTER OF THE MOVIE
GET THE DVD HERE

FROM POZZIS TO SAMARKAND: 8.000 KM

So, we leave behind us the strongly revered place and exit this energy which prompts to undertake new audacious enterprises, and we proceed toward the pass called "Sella Chianzutan". 

WE MADE IT TO THE PASS "SELLA CHIANZUTAN" (954 meters a.s.l.),
IN THE BACKGROUND: THE MOUNTAIN "VERZEGNIS" (1.914 meters a.s.l.)

THE RESTAURANT IS NAMED "IN SELLA", WHICH IS A PUN FOR BOTH MEANINGS "ON THE SADDLE" AND "ABOVE THE PASS"

Finally, we descend towards the lake of Verzegnis, a nice artificial lake named after the mountain and the nearby town of Verzegnis. The construction of the dam on the stream Ambiesta, between 1954-1959, created this beautiful lake, about 1,30 Km long and 60 Mt deep.The ‘60s and ‘70s were glorious years for the lake that became a great touristic site, with a disco, an equipped sandy shore also with boat rentals.Nowadays, it's just a lovely place where to relax and go fishing!

THE LAKE VERZEGNIS AND THE ROMANTIC PASSERELLE WHICH CROSSES IT

SEE ALSO MY OTHER POST "QUICK DIVE INTO FRESHNESS..." FOR MORE
STORIES AND IMAGES ABOUT THESE PLACES!

THE TWO OF US... MEETING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRIDGE... IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE!

ALMOST CLOSING OUR ROAD TRIP AT THE FEET OF THE MONTE FESTA

We eventually complete our trip by joining the SR512 and reaching the towns of Cavazzo and Trasaghis, where we stop for a short break, before heading towards home, and acclimating again to the hot temperatures of this surprising month of June 2022!

                                                 

A PANORAMIC 360° VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE CROSSING THE LAKE