ALBERGO DIFFUSO
FORGARIA MONTE PRAT
History of the Albergo Diffuso
Brief history of Albergo Diffuso "Forgaria Monte Prat".The Albergo Diffuso Forgaria Monte Prat is unique of its kind, both for its features and its history.
The Forgaria district in Friuli has experienced high waves of emigration in the past as a result of the morphological features of its territory.
During the summer the cattle from Forgaria, Cornino and San Rocco moved with the population to the Monte Prat plateau, where they remained well into autumn.
The houses that were placed on the plateau, used as summer accommodation, were mainly rural, with a stable on the ground floor and the house on the top, entirely built in local stone. The oldest house, still inhabited and included in the Albergo Diffuso Forgaria Monte Prat complex, dates back to 1775.
After the 50s, the economy and customs changed as a result of the establishment of the first industries which monopolized the labour force.
The Monte Prat plateau gradually became depopulated and the great earthquake of 1976 lead to the almost total desertion of the area.
When the works of restoration and construction resumed on the Monte Prat plateau, the population realized the importance of the traditional houses. These buildings not only had to be saved, but the construction of new houses, which would not have had nothing in common with the past architectural style or local culture, had to be avoided.
A census of all the houses located on the plateau then took place, leading to the establishment of the "Monte Prat Conservation Park" and, as a result of a specially created development plan, clear instructions for the building and restoration of these traditional houses were given. To this day, traditional stone must be used in the building of the whole house or the greater part of it.
In this context and based on these premises, the Albergo Diffuso Forgaria Monte Prat was created, revitalizing the local economy and promoting the knowledge of our area in Italy and abroad.
The project started, on the basis of the L.R. n. 2/2002, with 81 beds in 19 houses, at the end of May 2003.
All houses included in the Albergo Diffuso are located on the Monte Prat plateau, extending to the foot of the majestic Monte Cuar, a sought-after destination in an increasingly demanding excursion tourism.