1st STAGE: Udine – Cividale del Friuli (27 km)

The bike tour starts in Udine, at the train station, and enters the vibrant center of the city, reaching Freedom Square, which is its historical memory, and continuing on Mercatovecchio Street, along the ditch that surrounded the city walls in the Middle Ages.
At km 4.8, leaving the center, on Via Zilli the road becomes white and shortly after, on Via Bariglaria, turn left taking the bicycle path. Along Via Emilia we reach the embankment of the Torre stream, encountering the first of the many waterways that distinguish this region. At km 10 the old bridge on the right crosses the stream and leads to Salt di Povoletto.
NB: If the bridge should not be open to transit, continue straight ahead to the traffic circle and, taking the first exit, cross the bridge, then take the first exit again at the next traffic circle and rejoin the route at Salt.

Reaching Grions, continue on the well-marked bicycle path, also crossing the Malina stream at km 15.6. A long straight dirt road follows, ending near the bridge over the Ellero stream.
Paved bike paths run first along the Ellero River then the Chiarò stream, which is forded at km 21. (If the ford is unusable due to the presence of water, turn back for a short distance and use the bridge on the municipal road to Bottenico, where you resume the bicycle path on Sterpet Street.)

Bicycle paths in their own seat finally lead to the conclusion of the stage, in Cividale del Friuli, a jewel on the banks of the Natisone River that retains its ancient Roman layout almost intact. It is worth visiting the city, recalling its glorious history from when it was the governmental center of Venetia et Histria from the 5th century and the seat of the Friulian duchy in the Lombard era, evidence of which, such as the Lombard Temple, has made Cividale a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Length: 26 km
Elevation gain: 204 m
Downhill elevation gain: 174 m
Highest point: 137 m
Lowest point: 105 m
Type of surface: mixed

Municipality of departure: Udine
Place of departure: Udine
Municipality of arrival: Cividale del Friuli
Place of arrival: Cividale del Friuli

Recommended period: March to October

The fascinating eastern territory of Friuli is the theater where a 3-stage bicycle itinerary unfolds, starting and ending in Udine, the capital and heart of the region. The bike route reaches and crosses the Natisone Valleys, a magical and authentic land with a wild and changing landscape, artfully designed by streams flowing through ravines, small waterfalls and caves.

The Valleys are located in the Julian Pre-Alps, behind Cividale, a place rich in artistic and historical treasures recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Thus flow, amid nature and wonders of the past, the 83 kilometers of a bicycle route to discover an enchanting and lesser-known Italy.

Credits: Province of Udine – Land of the Patriarchs