Julian Prealps Park Newsletter no. 1 June 1997 p. 6, 7
(Itinerary coordinated by S. Fadi, M. Tondolo and M. Toniutti)

This route takes Provincial Road 42 at Resiutta and follows Resia Valley for about 6 km. Passing through the intersection for S. Giorgio and Prato, it continues for another 150-200 m, where cars can be parked in the small square on the right hand side of the road, in the village of Tigo.
Once across the footbridge over the Resia stream (at an altitude of 360 m), turn right and follow the stream for a few hundred metres (roughly 15-20 mins). The path continues on level ground, through a landscape which alternates between dense, dark black pine woods and wide open meadows dotted with occasional huts instead of the pre-existing lodges.
Just beyond a small brook, continue to climb for another dozen metres until you reach a small saddle straddling two hilltops. This is a Wurmian moraine deposited by a stadial glacier originating from the head of Resia Valley and subsequently eroded by melted snow. Now descend towards the riverbank of the Rio Nero, which is characterised by a large concentration of alluvium terraces.
The alluvium terraces of Rio Nero ('Cerni Potok' in Resian) are covered in a succession of varying vegetation, from pioneer stage to woods. Most interesting, though, is the gravel vegetation, the most widespread being the mountain species, such as the mountain avens (Dryas octopetala), which covers the most recent alluvium deposits, and the bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) which grows alongside winter flowering heather and the shrubby milkwort (Polygala chamaebuxus) beneath clusters of black pine. There are also important endemic species growing here, including the Carnic stock (Matthiola carnica), the yellow-pink cornflower (Centaurea dichroantha) and the Berini dandelion (Leontodon berinii). The fish populating this river are mainly salmon, as well as brown trout and brown and marble trout cross-breeds. The Miller’s thumb is also found here.
Cross the river via a small wooden bridge, turn right and continue along the river (CAI trail no. 703), passing the valley which gets progressively narrower.
The severe water erosion has hollowed out a deep gorge determining its characteristic fluvial morphology. From here, you leave the river bed, twisting up hairpin bends, built of dry masonry, which continue along the walls of a rocky canyon.
Shortly, you climb higher and reach, on the right, a small spring (considered a miracle by the inhabitants of Resia) flowing out from the rock. The trail continues up a small wooden staircase. Here stands an old memorial cross and a small effigy of the Virgin Mary: from here you can admire the beautiful view of the opposite slope, covered in a seed stand of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra subsp. austriaca).
The presence of seed stands is of fundamental importance for the forest nursery: the sowing seeds intended for nurseries and reforestation must, in fact, have a recognised and certified origin and guarantee certain genetic characteristics in order to facilitate the gradual and progressive improvement of the Italian forest heritage. To this aim, the Libro Nazionale dei Boschi da Seme (National Register of Seed Stands) was set up, the official register on which the stands with the best characteristics are recorded. The Austrian pine wood located at the end of the valley, on the right-hand slope, is on this prestigious register. The black pine woods which the route crosses, due to their steep inclines and high rainfall, pertain to the different ecologies relating to the wettest substrata and are characterised by a widespread growth of various types of reed grass (Calamagrotis varia) and tall moor grass (Molinia arundinacea), although there is plenty of drier vegetation such as winter flowering heather and common moor grass.
Beyond the canyon, continue along the trail hollowed out in the rock accompanied by the roar of the torrent. The landscape here is fascinating: the narrow track which runs along the sides of the valley, the old, twisted pine trees growing on the rock faces, deep gorges, thunderous waterfalls and green pools along the river constitute its main features.
During the maturation period, seeds from the pine trees are highly appreciated by the many mammals and birds: their high content of oils and energy-giving substances provide important nourishment, especially during the winter period, when calorie requirements are much higher.
Continue walking across this landscape for a few hundred metres until reaching a small saddle covered in beech trees, then descending a short track you come to the stream; you can cross easily via a log bridge, after which the landscape becomes rugged and wild with overhanging rock-faces, and patches of willow and rhododendron.
The route then climbs up an arduous scree slope (equipped with steel cables to facilitate ascent and descent) and, after passing a secondary brook, continues slowly along a totally different landscape: the bare rock of the first stretch of the route is replaced with the dense beech groves of the high valley.
These tree populations, due to the cool currents of moist air flowing along the stream and to exposure, belong to the mountain beech variety and include the characteristic round-leaved Saxifrage (Saxifraga rotundifolia), the European Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), the Alpine Laburnum (Laburnum alpium) and the black-berried Honeysuckle (Lonicera nigra). Typical inhabitants of these woods are the dormouse, the alpine shrew and the goshawk.
Proceed in the shade of the wood for about 15-20 minutes, at which point you will catch glimpses below of the remains of an old lock once used for timber floating (723 m), located within the woodland owned by the Municipality of Resia. Clearly visible are two large piles of stones, remnants of the ‘cassice’ – an enclosure made of beech wood logs, piled one upon the other, jammed and nailed together, and filled with heaps of stones taken from the area.
The lock acted as a barrier to the stream, creating a small artificial basin. Downstream from this simple structure was where the logs accumulated. When the basin reached its maximum level, the gates were opened so that the water which gushed out also transported the timber held within. This was a widely used transport system (until the 1950s and 1960s) throughout the entire mountain region. The Rio Nero lock was 5 m wide at the base and 25 m at the top. Reaching a height of 8 m, it marked the boundary upstream of a basin with a capacity of 1,500 m³.
The walk continues through the wood for another fifteen minutes or so until you come to a dry riverbed. The valley here displays morphological features that are typical of glacial activity. By following the white and red marks of CAI trail no. 703, you soon reach the restored Casera Rio Nero refuge, set in a clearing (865 m) and surrounded by spruce and larch trees.
By observing the surrounding landscape, it is obvious that the presence of spruce and larch at this altitude is not natural. This means that these wooded areas were artificially planted about 30 years ago. This kind of human intervention (very common in the 1960s) gave rise to tree populations which, because they are not exactly in harmony with the environmental characteristics of the area, are very vulnerable to parasitic attack, atmospheric agents and fires. Furthermore, once they have been affected, they show a reduced capacity for recovery.
The casera (herdsman’s hut and surrounding pasture) was used until the 1950s for the migration of livestock to mountain pasture: about forty cows and the same number of goats were grazed here, as was recorded in the Friulian Agricultural Association’s Newsletter published in 1911. The hut and land were rented out year by year, as none of the pasture owners accepted longer term contracts. Destroyed by the earthquake in 1976, the building was rebuilt in 1990 with the function of a refuge as part of the management initiatives taken by the Julian Prealps Park. From the plateau, the Cime di Campo peaks can be seen, as well as a section of the Musi mountains. The return trip follows the same route. Departing from the refuge, it is possible to climb the head of the valley and then proceed to Forcella La Forchia (La Forchia pass) or to continue in the direction of the Forca Campidello pass (CAI trail no. 726). Otherwise, you can take trail no. 707a for the Forca Tasacuzzer pass and then climb (trail no. 707) to the peak of Mount Cuzzer (1,462 m).
The tree seeds are foraged for by squirrels and the yellow-necked wood mouse, which can nimbly climb up to the cones at the top, as well as by other rodents, such as the field vole, which must settle for whatever falls on the ground or is blown loose by the wind. One of the birds most adept at extracting the seeds from cones is the crossbill, but the nuthatch and certain other picidae, such as the pied woodpecker, can nimbly extract the cone seeds with their beaks.

Cartography
Topographic Map for hikers - scale 1:25.000 – Sheet no. 020
Carnic and Julian Prealps of Gemona area – Sheet no. 027
Canin-Resia and Raccolana Valleys – Publisher: Edizioni Tabacco

Bibliography

VARIOUS AUTHORS
Il Cammina
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Edizioni Ambiente, Milan 1995


GRUPPO ALP. GHIRI DI RESIA (GHIRI DI RESIA ALPINE GROUP)
Val Resia e le sue montagne (Resia Valley and its mountains)
Bolzano 1987


SGOBINO F.,
Il Parco Naturale delle Prealpi Giulie (The Julian Prealps Nature Park)
Geologia e clima (Geology and Climate)
Comitato di coordinamento (Coordination Committee), Resia 1994


SIMONETTI A.
L'antica tecnica della fluitazione del legname mediante l'utilizzo di chiuse (The age-old technique of timber floating through locks)
Comunità Montana Canal del Ferro-Val Canale (Canal del Ferro-Val Canale Mountain Community)
Pontebba 1993


SIMONETTI G.
Il Parco Naturale delle Prealpi Giulie. Vegetazione (The Julian Prealps Nature Park. Vegetation)
Comitato di coordinamento (Coordination Committee) - Resia 1997