The emerald lake of the Valcellina
In the Valcellina, a mountain valley in the province of Pordenone, at about 400 metres, the Lago di Barcis is a small artificial lake created in the 1950s by a dam on the Cellina stream, whose waters of an intense emerald green, surrounded by woods and steep mountains, are among the most beautiful in Friuli. On its shores lies the village of Barcis, with stone houses, a small harbour, a beach and the elegant Palazzo Centi, a Venetian-style noble palace of the seventeenth century, which recalls the ancient prosperity of the valley. In summer, the lake is a destination for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, pedal boats and walks along the shore, and the village offers restaurants with local cuisine.
Downstream from the lake, the Riserva Naturale della Forra del Cellina protects one of the most spectacular gorges in the eastern Alps: the Cellina has carved a narrow, deep canyon between vertical limestone walls, where the water flows with emerald and turquoise colours. The old Valcellina road, carved into the rock walls of the gorge in the early twentieth century, with tunnels and bridges suspended over the void, was closed to traffic after the opening of a new road, and a section of it can now be walked on foot or by bike, with breathtaking views of the gorge. The Valcellina is also the gateway to the Dolomiti Friulane Natural Park and to the villages of Cimolais, Claut and Erto.
Tip: walk the old road in the Forra del Cellina, open in the warm season; have a swim or rent a canoe in Lake Barcis.
Where it is
More things to see in Friuli Venezia Giulia
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