Polcenigo
In the province
of Pordenone (Friuli Venezia Giulia
region - Northeast Italy) the strip
protected by the Western Carnic Prealps,
named Pedemontana, preserves small
jewels of architecture and landscape
oasis to be found and appreciated
by real connoisseurs.
Naturally distant from the uproar
and reputation of more renowned places
and sought after touristic routes,
these spots preferably welcome only
tourists with good "ethical"
references ( you surely know what
I mean ) and seem to disdain to come
into the limelights of the so-called
" first class " tourism,
but don't let us be mistaken about
it!
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Such
moderation often hides a reality
made of secluded monuments, precious
works of art unknown to the great
public, interesting historical
references and landscapes of exceptional
beauty, and all is peppered with
genuine hospitality wisely based
on the respect of tradition and
environment, in a context where
quality of life means also coming
in contact with nature and getting
back behaviours and human values
hard to find in modern times.
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Polcenigo |
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| Delightful
place, it is concerned with the sources
of torrent Gorgazzo, which in fact is
a resurgive, whose clear waters cross
pleasantly the historical centre before
flowing into river Livenza springing
nearby in a place called Santissima.
Water is just the chief element in this
pure jewel of the Pedemontana and creates
such beautiful green corners and striking
views as to be really worth visiting
and able to inspire sublime thoughts. |
Sorgente del Gorgazzo |
On
the slopes of a mountain, about
one km from Polcenigo, you meet
the village of Gorgazzo, a locality
well known for the homonymous
watercourse springing from a Gorgazzo
spring source of incomparable
beauty, unique in its kind and
familiarly nicknamed "el
bus " ( the hollow ). Hidden
from afar by trees and rocks,
as one gets nearer a small lake
comes into sight, an intense blue
sheet of water by the ever changing
hues.
The geographer Giovanni Marinelli
(1846-1900), fine illustrator
of his native land Friuli, perfectly
described it with such poetic
words: |
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"Take
the colour of the emerald, the turquoise
and the beryl and cast them in a bath
of lapislazuli in the way that they
may blend and keep their own originality
at the same time, and you will get
that part of liquid sky named Gorgazzo".
Closed by calcareous rocks full of
fossils, a submerged tunnel goes down
beneath the mountain in a gooseneck
route. For the charm of its mysterious
and inviolate depth, in the recent
past many people were induced to dive
for explorations and scientific sur
veys or simply for sport and love
for adventure. Many lost their life,
so diving has now been strictly forbidden.
Nevertheless on the Christmas night,
during the Mass traditio nally celebrated
at the source by the military Chaplain
of the Alpins, a group of divers plunge
in the lake in order to lay a wreath
on the Christ of the Abyss, a statue
lying 10 metres down, which can hardly
be seen on shiny days. The divers
plunge into the water bringing torches
and the magic atmosphere of Christmas
makes the ceremony very suggestive.
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CiaoVenezia
Via della Centa, 30
33070 Polcenigo (PN) Italy
Fax +39 0434 749634
e-mail:
info@ciaovenezia.com
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