It took me a while to write about this walk. Writing means adding a full-stop to an experience and I would never want to say goodbye to autumn trekking. This year even more.
If you read this story now, in November 2020, you will probably be on lockdown like me. If, on the other hand, you are reading it at some point in the future, I hope you can do this hike as soon as possible. I’d suggest the end of October, you will not regret it.
It was a fantastic hike to say goodbye to my beloved mountains.
Experienced by the hike on Monte Cuar, on which the crowd had hit us negatively, we decide to explore the wild heart of Carnia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Why you should visit Casera Monte Buoi

The best about Friuli-Venezia Giulia is that for every famous destination there is an equally wonderful one that few people know. A “Cinderella location”, a rough diamond completely subjugated by the nearby and noisy “stepsisters”. So is the walk towards Casera (cheese hut) Monte Buoi.

The trail to Casera Monte Buoi

The departure is from Sigilletto (UD), the town before Collina di Forni Avoltri. Everyone knows the latter as the start point of the most famous and coveted treks in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The Mount Coglians, the Volaia Lake, the Spinotti Path, the Marinelli Refuge, and so forth.
And then, in the shadow of the “big ones”, there is Casera Monte Buoi. The difference in height is almost the same as that to reach Volaia lake. The first 500 meters of slop reminisce those of the Pellegrino Path to reach Mount Lussari, (Tarvisio, UD). This hike is for solitary hearts as you will meet no one and once you arrive at the cheese hut, you can lengthen your trip to the near Cima Ombladet. But let’s go in order.

Where to park

We park the car in a wide space on the side of the road a few meters before the sign that welcomes us to Sigilletto. In this way, when we’ll close the ring coming from Frassenetto the car will be closer.

The Casera Monte Buoi loop trail starting point

The first sign with the indications for the CAI trail 169 is located in the central square. From which we reach the outskirts of Sigilletto and start our climb.
I already like the beginning, a tunnel of fir trees and a carpet of leaves. On the right then, you can see a mountain hut resulting from the renovation of an old lodge for hay. I stop to look at it for a long time and dream of the moment when I too will possess such a marvel (because it will happen sooner or later, right?).

Reluctantly I continue on. I’m immediately distracted by the CAI 169 path which sharply cuts the forest road. Not far away you can see a dense pine forest, spotted with some golden autumn remnants. We can therefore imagine how the path we are following must have been just a couple of years back. Vaia, the storm that destroyed so many forests in the north-east of Italy, has done her damage here too.

The trail to follow, however, is well signposted and alternates short flat sections with steep climbs.
The landscape that we admire among the branches of the remaining fir trees is enough to distract us from the fatigue. Among the leaves, we can spot the peaks around Sappada that so often have framed our trekking. Above all, we greet Mount Peralba and the basin of the Sorgenti del Piave with the affection that would be dedicated to an old friend.
At around 400 meters in altitude, the path enters the forest road. It rises for the remaining 200 meters to the cheese-lodge in regular hairpin bends that finally give way to the panorama. 

A gentle slight slope that leads us to a crossroads. In front of us Casera Monte Buoi, on the left the road to Frassenetto which we will take to go down.

Arriving to Casera Monte Buoi

We cover the last few meters in a few minutes and take our place in the sun in front of the building. Here we find the first and only people on this tour.
A little group continues up to Cima Ombladet (still 400m in altitude and an hour and a half of walking) and another stops like us to nibble something and enjoy the warm November sun.
Casera Monte Buoi was renovated in 2017 after an avalanche had completely destroyed it.

While the sun warms our bones and skin, we silently inspire the scent of freedom that can only be breathed at high altitudes. The clear, bright, crisp air makes us forget what awaits us down.
A new lockdown, a new “last hug” to our parents who we hope to see again soon or at least at Christmas. From the balustrade of the cheese hut, I turn my gaze towards the slopes of the mountain, where the hikers who welcomed us here are now only a distant dot. I would like to follow them, I would like to stay with the mountains a little longer and instead of taking our things and go down.

The descent is slow. Until the trees swallow the landscape again we want to absorb every frame of this autumn trekking. And with Casera Vas, which has the charm that only old abandoned buildings have, we immerse ourselves again in the forest.
We proceed to Frassenetto and head back to our car. The only negative note of the tour is that to close the ring it is necessary to do a last kilometer on the roadside.
We return to the car happy with the walk but also nostalgic for those places that we will miss so much.

This autumn hike does not present particular difficulties and can be a valid alternative to the nearby trails. I set out to return in the spring to get to the top that I couldn’t reach today.

Hike recap

• CAI trail: 169
• Altitude: 1725 slm
• Difference in altitude: +650
• Ascent: 1,5h
• Length:  12 km for the whole loop trail