ALBERGO DIFFUSO
FORGARIA MONTE PRAT

The history of our area

In this section of the site we would like to share the history of our area with our visitors, so as to promote the understanding of the events that have shaped and influenced our district and the life of Forgaria’s population.

Situated at an altitude of 262 meters above sea level, occupying an area of 29,73 km, there are about 2000 inhabitants together with the districts of Cornino, San Rocco, Flagogna and Monte Prât.
In ancient times the area, inhabited by the Celtic-Carnic population, was an important crossroad between the valley of the Po and the Norico, along the valley of the Arzino torrent and across the plane of the lake Tre Comuni.
Along these ancient routes, the Celts were succeeded by the Romans, the Lombardi and the Carolingians.
The numerous castles, built during the Middle Ages over similar buildings, previously used for defence and control of the territory, are evidence of the areas strategic and commercial importance.
There are some notable remains of several of these castles. The Castel Raimondo in Forgaria, of Roman origin, has been the object of qualified historical research and the creation of an archaeological park on a European scale is planned. The San Giovanni Castle in Flagogna is of Lombard origin.

The Castelraimondo Cultural Park brings together the archaeological and historical findings of an extremely ancient past within a natural frame of great beauty, which can be admired by the public during an easy walk.
The Zuc 'Schiaramont (441 meters above sea level) dominates a vast section of the Tagliamento river, from Osoppo as far as the sea and the narrow valley of Arzino, which leads to the But Valley, to the Carnia and the alpine pass, through a short and sheltered track.

Due to the elevated and strategic position of the hill’s median peak, this was once the site of a village fortified during the Pre Roman period (fourth century B.C.), later transformed into a fortress by the Romans (first century B.C. - fifth century A.D.). Destroyed and rebuilt several times, this fortress was a shelter from danger for the people inhabiting the valley during the early Middle Ages, then a seasonal place for shepards and finally went back to its agricultural use in the tenth century A.D.


Between the 13th and the 14th century there was once a castle on the lower hilltop (428 meters above sea level), known as 'Schiaramont , constructed by the patriarch of Aquileia, Raimondo della Torre, to oppose the rival castle of Flagogna. After many bloody battles, the castle was finally burnt, destroyed and demolished. It is said that with its stones the houses and churches of the old villages of Grap, Sac and Val were built. Fiefdom to many Lords of the Middle Ages, it was placed under the seigniory of the Savorgnan after 1300 up until 1797. In the Napoleonic period, after the rule of Venice, it became a free district in 1806 following the ups and downs of Friuli and finally becoming part of the kingdom of Italy. During the Caporetto retreat (1917) the district was the theatre of various events, involving the population and the army. After the earthquake (1976), which also had a devastating effect on the inhabitants and houses in Forgaria, it was rebuilt using anti-seismic techniques. The rural architecture is clearly visible in the area of Sompcornino and in the small villages of Monte Prât, which were least affected by the earthquake.

The main sites to visit are the churches, together with the interesting ancient altarpieces and votive stones placed along the roads that mark the entire area – it is wonderful discovering them along the pathways…

The Monte Prât plateau is vast and bordered by the valley of the Arzino torrent to the west and by the lower valley of Cjanèt to the east, whereas to the south the plateau quickly descends towards the hills of Forgaria and in the north rises to the foot of the steep slopes of Monte Cuar. The altitude of the plateau varies between 700 and 900 meters above sea level.
The territory has always been used, throughout its history, for agriculture and cattle-farming, which explains the presence of rural buildings to accommodate both people and animals.
Today, these have been magnificently restored and transformed into Albergo Diffuso ("Forgaria Monte Prât", an 81-bed hotel).


Two bridges, the Cimano Bridge and the Armistice Bridge, play an important role in the area, as the district is bordered by water, the Arzino torrent on the one side and the Tagliamento river on the other.
The former was created as a railway link on the Splimbergo-Gemona line in 1913. During both world wars this bridge was of great strategic importance and it was here that, during the Caporetto retreat following a failed attempt to sabotage the bridge, the Austro-German troupes passed, leading to two of the most bloody battles on record: the Monte Prat battle and the Pradis battle. In memory of these battles, both in Monte Prat and in Pradis, all the pathways connected with these events have recently been reopened and mapped. During the Second World War, with the use of aeroplanes, the bridge was heavily bombed and made unusable.
The history of the Armistice Bridge, on the Arzino torrent, is both strange and indispensable. In fact, it has been completely rebuilt three times in little over a century.


The first Bridge of Flagogna on the Arzino was situated slightly to the north of the present bridge. It was built of wood in 1823 and restored in 1852. In 1916 the bridge was destroyed to make way for the construction of a second bridge, built with a single arch by the construction company Petrucco. It was destroyed only two years later, at the end of the first world war by the Austrians in retreat. The third bridge, built in 1919, is known by its present name of 'the Armistice', because it was precisely next to the destroyed bridge, where the current bridge stands, that a platoon of bikers of the 12th regiment Bersaglieri shot the last gunshots towards the enemy in flight. This bridge was built as the former, with a single arch to preserve it from the floods of the torrent, and lasted until 1944, when it was demolished, near the end of the war, by a group of partisans to stop the passage of the German reinforcement troops. The last bridge was built in 1946, close in shape to the former and made by the same construction company (Petrucco).

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