We drove from Venice to our agriturismo just south of Cividale del Friuli on Thursday morning. We’re staying in a winery that rents rooms and apartments, Perusini outside of Cormons. http://www.perusini.com/en/. We are in an old house high on a hill, that has been divided into two apartments. We had originally booked one of the halves, and upon arrival discovered that it only had an exterior staircase, with bedrooms on the top floor and the only bathroom on the ground floor. Uh, with my knee, dragging myself down and up on an outside stairway in the middle of the night, no. Very fortunately, the apartment in the other half of the house had an interior stair, was available, and in fact had the much better view from the porch. It is definitely funky as country houses can be, but we have a fabulous view, a comfortable bed, and the toilet flushes.
We hit the local Despar for some groceries. Corno di Rozzano is a newer town, not much on charm but with good shops and services for the community. We easily cooked pasta with sausage and greens for dinner (after rinsing out the cooking pots and plates, yuck) , and ate on our porch with a nice bottle of Friulian wine. What more does one need?
Friday morning we went to the Cormons weekly market. Not huge, and the usual trucks selling made-in-China shoes, clothing, and housewares. But there were several fruit and veg sellers, cheese trucks, and butchers. We bought a kilo of the sweetest peas I’ve ever had, some zucchini, tomatoes, and fruit.
We drove around a bit, admiring the vine-covered hills, mountains in the distance, and glimpses of castles hidden behind trees.
Then drove the short distance in a valley to Cividale del Friuli, a lively and very interesting town with plenty to see and do. We found parking in a lot near the “Devil’s Bridge” in the south of town. The centro has attractive main streets, and plenty of evocative cobblestone alleys to explore. It was a stronghold of the Lombards, and retains much of its history.
There’s a Roman mosaic under the town hall, a Duomo, the lovely Piazza Diacono lined with cafes, a restored 14th century house to explore, and a nice riverside walkway. We tried two regional sweets, gubana and strucchi, pastries filled with nuts, cinnamon and chocolate. Our favorite visit was the the beautiful Tempietto Longobardo, built in the mid 8th century. Tiny and very special, with carvings and partially restored frescoes.
We had an excellent lunch at Antico Leon d’Oro, just across the Devil’s Bridge on the south side of town. We tried the local traditional frico, a hot mashed potato and cheese dish, hilariously served with polenta. Definitely something to get you through a cold winter. Also excellent was my pasta with asparagus, and Larry’s herb-stuffed ricotta dumplings.
Cividale has several interesting museums, and since the weather for tomorrow promised rain, we decided to return to them then. To take advantage of today’s sun after lunch we drove north to Gemona in the foothills, (about 40 minutes drive) with mountains rising all around making for a spectacular landscape. The town is built up a hill, and was mostly destroyed during the 1976 earthquake with centered there. The town has been rebuilt and some of the older parts restored. There is a marvelous medieval cathedral with a striking facade. The interior was heavily redone in later centuries, but still there is the charming Romanesque font which incorporates a font from the 2nd century with beautiful carvings. We wanted to go to the small museum, but even though the sign n the door said open, it was firmly shut. Ah, Italy, what can you do. We’ll try again.
A few miles north we stopped at Venzone, a lovely walled town that was also completely rebuilt from the original stones after the quake. There’s a 14th century civic hall, and a cathedral that is still being restored.
For dinner we ate at Al Postiglione, the restaurant on the agriturismo. Meat and Meat is what you eat here. We had an excellent crudo, a fresh salad (yay, vegetables) and then the main dish arrived–enough perfectly rare steak for four people, plus vegetables. We also had an engaging encounter with the local curling champions at the next table, celebrating their victory. They seem to push polenta pots on an ice rink, insisting we see their videos on youtube. Much laughter.
Destination Anywhere 
Looks gorgeous!