The best MTB trails around Vito D'Asio

Amazing view of the Tagliamento river

Bridge over the Arzino stream, the ideal place for a break to cool your feet on summer days

Short, crisp ascent mostly on asphalt and short gravel sections. The route leads mostly through the forest and offers many great views and vistas into the Friulian region and of the Tagliamento river, as well as westwards to 2,500-meter peaks. The ascent is possible up to Malga Polpazza. Afterwards, a gate with an open padlock blocks the ascent to the summit with warning signs and information on how the further path is secured. I got to see and hear large, barking dogs and preferred to say "Ciao" to the summit before reaching it.

A very striking warrior monument at the entrance to the cemetery.

Immersed in the woods of Val d'Arzino, in the municipality of Vito d'Asio, Castello Ceconi is a fascinating eclectic residence that seems to have come out of a medieval fairy tale. Built at the end of the 19th century by Count Giacomo Ceconi, a humble local stonemason who became a famous engineer and amassed a fortune building railways across Europe, the building blends neo-Gothic and Renaissance elements. The facade is decorated with mullioned windows, battlements, and frescoes depicting great figures from Italian history, as well as statues celebrating work and progress. Damaged by the 1976 earthquake and subsequently restored, the castle is now privately owned and houses a prestigious international school for advanced technological training, remaining a symbol of redemption and connection to the Friulian territory.

Known as the "Balcony of Friuli", Clauzetto is a charming mountain village in the province of Pordenone, nestled on a natural terrace offering an extraordinary panorama of the plain and the Tagliamento river. The heart of the village is dominated by the Church of San Giacomo Apostolo, reachable via a monumental 18th-century stone staircase, which houses the relic of the Most Precious Blood. A short distance from the center are the spectacular Grotte di Pradis, a deep gorge carved by the Cosa stream where unspoiled nature blends with history, thanks to important archaeological finds linked to Neanderthals. Walking through the hamlets of Clauzetto means immersing yourself in spontaneous architecture made of local stone that preserves the authentic and hospitable charm of the Friulian mid-mountain area intact.

The Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova, located in the hilly hamlet of Pielungo in the municipality of Vito d'Asio, is a sacred building of great importance to the local community. Built between the 19th and 20th centuries on the site of a former cemetery, the structure blends harmoniously into the landscape of the Val d'Arzino, with its bell tower towering over the inhabited center. ​Inside, the church houses a valuable artistic heritage. Particularly noteworthy are the frescoes in the choir executed in 1905 by the Friulian painter Francesco Barazzutti, as well as the refined Carrara marble altars enriched with mosaic details, created by Tuscan artisans. Deeply linked to the history of local emigration, the church has always been the spiritual and identity reference point for the "pielungans" scattered around the world.

The ossuary, which never went into operation, was used in 1944 during World War II as a fort to protect the bridge near Pinzano. More information: turismofvg.it/de/110490/ehemaliges-deutsches-beinhaus-colle-pion