Carnia, and in particular the Valcalda, which includes the Ravascletto Zoncolan area, boasts a wide range of striking and near-magical attractions.

It is impossible not to fall in love with these surroundings, with these fabulous views that one encounters continuously walking through the forests, for all the world as a guest who, reverently, respectfully, stumbles across a hidden life in a newly-discovered world.
Carnia comprises several valleys carved out buy the Tagliamento river and its tributaries. The largest is the Val Tagliamento, with the district capital, Tolmezzo. The others, from west to east are Val Lumiei, Val Degano or Canale di Gorto, Valle del But or Canale di San Pietro, and Valle Chiarsò or Canale d'Incaroio. Two others, Val Pesarina or Canale di San Canciano, and Valcalda, run in a transverse direction.

Carnia’s dense forests, its flowers and wild herbs, make it one of Europe’s most important botanical zones. It offers refuge to animals such as chamois, badgers, marmots, roe deer, eagles, eagle owls, wood grouse, pheasant, and partridge. It is also one of the best-preserved areas in all of the Alps, since development has gone hand in hand with a careful respect for nature, without disturbing the environment or abandoning the deep-rooted customs and traditions that constitute the cultural heritage of this mountain people. Tourism here is still on a human dimension, with establishments and services at a high level, but with no excesses or crowds. Up here, everything exudes quiet and order, inspired by an architecture that is rural and unstudied but harmonious and everywhere bathed in the fragrances of health-giving wild herbs.
In any season, a vacation in Carnia means nature, sports, fun, calm, fine food and wine, and certainly no lack of art and history, since museums, churches, and ancient settlements abound, constructed of the traditional local wood and stone, and perfectly preserved.
Our charming Alpine lakes will enchant you, as will the numberless waterfalls and streams that burst forth from the mountains. Their peaks are superb, particularly Coglians, at 2,781 metres, the highest in the area. The Pre-Alps and the Carnian Alps, which are the natural extension to the east of the Dolomites in the nearby Veneto, offer paths and climbing routes that lead to rifugi, or high-altitude hostels, exhilarating goals for a hike or a climb. In the intense green of these valleys you will find the slopes everywhere marked by tiny hamlets, and throughout the year, the villages still hold their traditional festivals that have perdured unchanged over the centuries.

At 1,000 metres’ elevation, Ravascletto is one of Carnia’s highest communes, and is the most important centre in Valcalda, one of Carnia’s most beautiful valleys. Well-known for its skiing centres and excellent restaurants, Ravascletto is an ancient settlement with classic stone-built houses. The first document attesting its existence dates back to 1281. Valcalda is a valley that enchants at first sight. From its heights one can look out over the entire nearly But valley to the east and over the Val Degano to the west right to the Pesarine Dolomites. Its elevation is ideal for a mountain holiday in an environment that is in continuous flux, with a full range of possibilities for both winter and summer activities.

Entree into local life and its traditions is engagingly easy, whether the activities flow from folklore or from religion, whether they involve fine food and wine, or sports. For alongside sports and hiking, which remain of course the best way to enjoy a vacation in these mountains, we offer our superb gastronomy, finely balanced between tradition and innovation. The local dishes may be natural and uncomplicated, but Carnia tradition ensures that they are delicious, sometimes with a flare that is surprisingly creative.

At Ravascletto one can ski as high as 2,000 metres, on Mount Zoncolan, Friuli’s finest skiing area, which boasts a magnificent panoramic view over the nearby Austrian and Slovene mountains. Kilometres and kilometres of ski runs offer something for every kind of skier, and snow machines guarantee a plentiful supply of snow at all times. There are runs that are heaven for those who prefer their skiing leisurely, although more expert skiers will find runs as demanding as they wish. Aficionados of cross-country skiing will find magnificent opportunities for Alpine skiing, and snowboarders will enjoy their own special facilities in the Fun Park arena. .

Valcalda and Ravascletto offer a stay quite different even from other, better-known areas, with forests of endless green, with total tranquillity, a recipe that is just the thing for restoring mind and body from the stress and tiredness of everyday life elsewhere. In short, we represent a skiing locale perfect for the entire family, with equipment and activities that will satisfy the needs both of children who are learning to ski, as well of their parents.

Your vacation in every season

Your spring…
Ice melt brings a myriad waterfalls, their water incredible for its range of green hues
Your summer...
Globe flowers, gentian, mountain orchids, anemones, cyclamen. Meadows to lie down in, so many spots to just listen to the silence
Your autumn...
The aromas of mushrooms, the forests’ kaleidoscope of colours, with amazing changes each day
Your winter...
A mountain of whipped cream, where your skis will trace fanciful designs

Daydreaming is dreaming with one’s eyes open. We are born dreamers ... because our imagination is the only thing that can help us to satisfy our need for the irrational. Imagination, the drive to the sphere of dreams, helps us to live.
Valcalda is the home too of the Carnia sbilfs, disrespectful but friendly elves who are woven into our very being, our hearts. The dwell in old houses, in animal stalls, hay barns, in grottoes, lumber sheds, and in the depths of the forest, and cannot be caught. Intelligent, nervous as quicksilver, sometimes plump, they are always unpredictable and ready to play jokes. It is claimed that only those completely in tune with nature and pure of heart can see them.
On the slopes of Monte Tenchia is the Pian delle Streghe (Witches’ Plain), a hollow to which one can drive from Cercivento. Legend has it that this is where the blonde Nordic witches meet those of the Carnian mountains. In their dances together, they create in the meadows magic concentric circles of wild garlic flowers, lilies, bellflowers. But be careful, without a tried and true antidote, to resist their joyfulness, their beauty and music, and to keep far from their dance.....