Cimolais

Cimolais is located in the Parco Naturale Dolomiti Friulane and combines striking mountain landscapes with paths along the Cimoliana stream, historic traces and unique opportunities to observe nature. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can consider the village as a base for a variety of travel plans: from viewpoints and cycling tours to trekking in the Val Cimoliana.

Mountains and viewpoints around Cimolais

One of the defining features of the landscape is the Campanile di Val Montanaia. The Dolomite peak is 300 metres high and is located in the upper Val Cimoliana. It is also one of the 19 geotopes of supranational interest in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The Sentiero dei Belvederi del Campanile di Val Montanaia leads to two viewpoints from which you can observe the Campanile. This provides a specific opportunity to include the striking rock formation in your day’s plans without requiring a particular length of stay.

The area around Cimolais offers opportunities for hiking, trekking and mountaineering. When choosing your accommodation, it can therefore be crucial whether you mainly want to explore paths in the nature park or connect different starting points. If you are travelling with varied interests, you can divide your stay between mountain tours, experiences in nature and more leisurely discoveries.

Paths along the Cimoliana stream and historic traces

The Sentiero dei Mulini e Val Cimoliana follows a cycle path along the banks of the Cimoliana stream. It also crosses the terraced meadows of Bresin, where several old stavoli have been restored. Along the path are the remains of water-powered mills and sawmills, including a restored former sawmill. The area’s historic use can still be seen in the specific buildings and remains.

This path also includes the Ponte di Lesca over a small gorge created by the clear waters of the Cimoliana stream. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between focusing more strongly on physical activity and following a route with links to the landscape and culture. The Sentiero dei Mulini e Val Cimoliana is also a useful starting point if you want to combine a cycling tour with further impressions of the valley.

A long, uninterrupted dry-stone wall runs along the path to the Chiesetta Alpina di Cimolais. The valley’s inhabitants built it in the post-war period to secure the mountainside and prevent landslides from blocking the path. Details like these make the landscape understandable not only as a natural area, but also as a living environment shaped by people.

Wildlife park and insights into life in the past

The Parco Faunistico Pianpinedo is located in the village of Piana di Pinedo between Cimolais and Claut. The completely enclosed wildlife park covers 35 hectares. Visitors can observe various examples of the local fauna there. The park is also home to the Cason dei Boscaioli, which faithfully recreates the living conditions of forest workers in the last century. This gives families and other travel groups an opportunity to combine observing nature with an insight into the working and living conditions of the past.

Starting points and planning mountain tours

Several trekking routes begin at different locations. The Trekking delle Bregoline starts in Pian Meluzzo, which can be reached from Cimolais via the road through the Val Cimoliana. The Trekking da Cimolais a Forni di Sopra also begins there. From Cimolais, the starting point is reached via a 13-kilometre road through the Val Cimoliana that is partly paved and partly unpaved. The Trekking forcella Duranno, on the other hand, begins at Ponte Compol, which can likewise be reached from Cimolais via this road.

When travelling by car, please note that access via the road through the Val Cimoliana is normally free of charge, although a toll may be charged during certain periods. This information is just as much a part of trip planning as deciding which paths and sights should be the focus. Anyone choosing accommodation in Cimolais can organise the aforementioned starting points and experiences according to their preferred daily itinerary, without combining the individual tours into one shared route.

More places for planning your trip

If you would like to look at pages for places other than Cimolais, here is a compact selection: Travesio, Chions, Fanna, Brugnera, Spilimbergo, Rauscedo, Maniago and Frazione di Villa D'arco.

For the higher-level travel overview: Pordenone.