La valle dei Tramonti

Valley of wild beauty, set among the rugged hills of the Carnic Pre-Alps, is so enchanting that it has been named "Italian Wonder". ncluded in the Friulian province of Pordenone, Val Tramontina is a place that has not known industrialization and intensive agriculture, a territory almost pure and uncontaminated still today. Modeled over the millennia by swirling and transparent streams and rivers, it is still very rich in water today. The Meduna is its main course, a torrential river that offers glimpses of disarming beauty, especially when, slowing down the descent, it forms emerald pools, the "Pozze Smeraldine", one of the ten most beautiful natural places in Italy. A truly unique place that must be preserved for the benefit of all, a wonderful but delicate place that requires respect, especially from the hundreds of people who flock there in the summer in search of refreshment. The devastating earthquake that devastated Friuli in 1976, destroying most of the houses, did not spare the villages of the valley. Tramonti di Sotto and its hamlets were also heavily affected and part of the original villages was lost. What was not completely demolished was restored, giving new splendor to old stone mills, courtyards, and ancient houses. The result of that extraordinary restoration work is particularly evident in the hamlet of Campone. For some years now Tramonti di Sotto has been the subject of an initiative that, in addition to having a profound social significance, contributes to increasing the village's newfound charm. Patrizia, head of the local Pro Loco, is the creator and animator of the project. The mosaic in this area is very popular because the whole of the Spilimberghese’s territory, since the 16th century, is land of mosaics. So there was something that belonged to us as a type of technique. Furthermore, I was inspired by the theme of the Agane, mythological creatures that the people of these countries once believed in. There is a beautiful legend that tells of an Agana who, to thank a woman who had done a kind act towards her, gave her a ball of thread. But this thread was endless, the woman could weave for her children, for the children of her children, and it seems that the ball of wool is still around in these parts. And this magical thread made of love and passion seemed to me to be an excellent inspiration. We then put together the thread with the mosaic and "The mosaic thread" was born, among other things also made with salvaged pieces such as cups and saucers. The important thing for me was that it was an engaging job and within everyone's reach, so that even an inexperienced person could participate in the initiative. We involved seven Friulian women mosaic artists, whom we nicknamed Agane of the mosaic, and just like the Agane worked dressed in white, an element that distinguished them. These mosaic artists brought their expertise and their imagination and involved the population, children, and elderly volunteers, and year after year these elements were created to embellish the village. This mosaic thread is important because on the one hand it becomes almost Ariadne's thread that carries through the courtyards and alleys, and on the other, it is a metaphorical thread that unites the population because in the future it will become a single thread that goes from house to house. Inspired by the Agane, which are creatures of the water, we started the mosaic thread from the two fountains of the village, so it comes from this meeting place and flows inside the village, uniting it metaphorically. At first, people were perplexed because it was a new thing, now many people ask us "When will the thread arrive at my house?". Many people offer to participate, to put a piece of their thread in the path of the mosaic. Carolina is one of the mosaic experts who enthusiastically joined the initiative right from the start. For me, the mosaic has a very strong symbolic value because there are many pieces that come together, such as the many notes that form music, or the people who come together to build something. Each colour, each tile has its own uniqueness but together they build something more harmonious, more interesting. I also work in prison, in difficult situations and I see that it has precisely this value, to break to rebuild things, to rebuild them more beautiful. We also thought about using society leftovers, such as broken cups and leftover tiles, to recycle things that are normally thrown away. And also the fact that this thread unravelling in the village changes dimensions, subjects, and shapes, represents the fact that we mosaic artists, together with the community, the volunteers, whoever comes to help us, build something varied but at the same time harmonious because we all must not be homologated, all the same. I see that all the people while making a mosaic concentrate and forget all the problems of life, so it is also almost a form of therapy, because the colours let you get carried away, and the pieces are like cookies, one leads to another, so you put one, then another, and so on. In short, it is something that you are passionate about. I am very involved. Although in the past the valley lived on a very modest economy, some of its inhabitants shone in entrepreneurial initiatives, such as the Masutti's family of Palcoda, which traded hats as far as northern Europe. But apart from a little agriculture and livestock, the main activities of the Tramontini people were artisan ones. Giuseppe is the last tinsmith in the valley and in Tramonti di Mezzo, with the help of his friend Vittorio, he tries to keep alive the memory of this ancient itinerant job not practiced anymore. About 200 years ago here in Val Tramontina, there was a lot of misery, there was not even agriculture and therefore they had to work hard. There was someone who had been to Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, Romania, and they said they had learned this profession from the gypsies. They began to do it here, then slowly, first by pulling a cart on foot, then by horse, and finally by bicycle they went to the other regions, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, and Lombardia. There was work, they earned enough and supported their family. As often happened in those times, Giuseppe's career began at a very young age, just 8 years old. One day, after returning from vacation, my father proposed that I go with him and I gladly went. I remember that I arrived on Saturday, on Monday he woke me up at 5 and gave me a bicycle, which made me very happy, and we started the training period. It was a nomadic job that led them to travel from village to village to repair or tinplate copper pots, especially in the countryside of Veneto, Emilia, and Lombardia, regions richest than the lower Friuli. To strengthen their sense of identity, the tinsmiths of Tramonti also invented a jargon of about 200 words, curiously similar to that of the Sardinian tinsmiths of Isili, proof of how much a wandering life favours cultural exchange. The wide pebbly riverbeds of the valley are sprinkled with dense willow thicket, thick shrubs with sinuous branches that for centuries supported the economy of Tramonti di Mezzo, the basket makers' village. The baskets that were produced there were particularly sought after for their black and white bands and the dense weave, sometimes so compact that they could carry water! Sandro too is a basket maker and came from Venice to learn the particular Tramontine technique. The willow is my main source of work, but it must be raised, pampered and respected, so that the following year it still has to give me material to be able to build other baskets, so I believe that respect is essential. The more cut the willow is, the more it takes root, so it holds stones and earth that thus do not reach the valley floor causing disasters. Sandro is waiting for Sante, his teacher, the last basket maker in the valley, to join him. - Hi Sante. - Hi, hi. - How are you? - Very well. - Are these ones okay? - Yes, quite well. - Should we cut the straighter ones? - Yes, it is better. Then, let me see if anything interesting here, Sante. - There's nothing here. - Nope, nothing. It is important for me to have points of reference. Sante is a point of reference in general for the population, for the villagers, but also for me who started doing this job. He explains to me and corrects me when I do something not well. It is for me a stimulus and also a responsibility to carry on what he has done in his life. Once in the village, Sandro has to remove the bark from the branches that will draw the white part of the baskets. To do that he uses the “sglova”, an ancient wooden instrument of simple workmanship, but extremely functional. Sandro has learned that once peeled, it is advisable to dry the willow and then put it to soak a few hours before processing because in this way the twigs become more malleable and resistant. Respecting the tradition of Tramonti di Mezzo, he immerses wicker and slats in the ancient fountain that makes a fine show at the entrance to the town. - Is the plank okay? - Better turn it upside down. Turn ... turn ... turn again and place the other. - Am I doing well Sante? - Yes, turn it, put it under ... - Now close ... - Try it yourself. I feel that passing down what he has always done in his life is like a mission to continue this very beautiful activity. Not many artists and artisans willingly put all their experience at the disposal of others, but those who have gifts of passion and altruism do it with pleasure. - Is the dimension okay? - Yup… So, is it okay in here? Here. - Okay. - Not here, always ... - Below ... - Yup It's a bit slow ... You don't find many people like him because they usually keep their secrets to themselves. Instead, Sante transmits everything he has learned, and albeit with severity, or rather firmly, he gives all his experience to others, in this case to me. - Shall we go eat Sante? - Yes we go. In Summer, the level of Lake Redona, also known by the evocative name of "Lake of the Sunsets", can drop significantly. But the peculiar morphology of the place means that the sky often opens letting drop copious and regenerating rains, thus keeping the valley particularly green and luxuriant. The swollen streams feed the lake again and when the sun chases away the clouds everything lights up and the valley shines again like a shining emerald. The sediments carried downstream by the floods, accumulating at the points where the current slows, give rise to clay deposits that have been sought after by local potters since ancient times. Elisabetta loves to immerse herself in these magical atmospheres and feels great emotion as she slowly walks through the woods, where the Agane among the trees observe her unseen. First of all, I do not think and it is a great thing because in everyday life the mind is racing and instead in this place of the heart it opens to this green. I always get emotional when I'm here, it's a place really… special. Over time his artistic production has diversified, also and above all for practical reasons. When I started the school of ceramics my desire was to make sculptures, statues. At a certain point I filled the house and my husband told me enough! So I thought about making everyday objects so as to replace the things that are in the house and also because it is a great satisfaction to use the things you have made for yourself. This place is a source of great inspiration. While walking I collect leaves, bark, things that attract my attention, then I try to reproduce them on the ceramic, or I imprint it directly on the trunk and then model it to make bowls. I also really like collecting plants, drying them, burning them, and making glazes with the ash to make objects that contain the ground of the place and finished with materials collected in nature. But ceramics are not his only passion. The plants of the valley fascinate her so much that she has learned to fix their shapes on clothing. When I was little my mother used to take me to the woods, she made me make the herbarium, so this thing about plants has always been part of my daily life. I then graduated in herbal techniques, I took some books, I looked around, but since I always need to gain experience I attended a course, and thus another world opened up for me. I really like it because having knowledge of the properties of plants and also of shapes it is nice for example to make a scarf with eucalyptus because when I have a bit of a cold I wear it, even if it is only suggestion. In Sardinia I collected herbs and made a scarf that reminds me of the island. It is a way to always have with me ... open the drawer and take the scarf or shirt that reminds me of where I've been, the people I've met, the places, the atmospheres, the emotions. For fabrics to be stamped by the pigments of plant essences, they must be immersed for a variable time in a warm mixture of water and natural dyes. This mixture also has the purpose of giving the fabric a soft nuance that will be a pleasant background to the natural arabesques. It is the moment of truth. The result is always unpredictable and can reserve pleasant surprises. This time it is in fact the glass supporting the fabric that has best assimilated the shapes of nature. You fall in love with people, but you also fall in love with places… I truly fell in love with this place. Elisabetta! - Hi! - Hi! What wonderful things you have prepared. Is it all for us? What beautiful things, very beautiful! - I'm going to get some water. - Thanks a lot. Did you see this one? A Barn owl! As in the whole of the Alps, agriculture in Val Tramontina has never been widely practiced. The inhabitants limited themselves to cultivating small vegetable gardens and a few plots of turnips and hemp, favouring rather the cultivation of extensive grassy pastures. In Tramonti di Sotto, however, Mariangela has started to devote herself to a rather unique type of cultivation, one of the edible flowers. I have always had a passion for flowers, perhaps it is innate in many women. Having undertaken this agricultural activity in Tramonti, I wondered why not try to grow flowers that may have an interest in agriculture and that can be combined with the hazelnuts I already grow. I started looking for edible flowers and saw that they are quite simple plants to grow and that for my experience in the mountains they can take root easily and so I started. I wasn't sure if I would have succeeded and instead they all took root. Tramontina Valley is an uncontaminated area, there are no industries. This land belonged to my grandparents and therefore I was sure it was organic; until last year the horses grazed there and I asked the owner to move them. And the weather is suitable, not too cold, quite rainy, so I thought I had a good chance of success. However, there are those who are still perplexed by the idea of eating flowers. Some people tell me that they are food for cows! Instead, they are normal herbs, each one with its own flavour, some sweeter, others spicier, more herbaceous ... You have to try … after tried one cannot do without it anymore. In salads they are perfect, perhaps with a little vinegar or better with balsamic vinegar. They can also be used in omelettes, to make chocolate-based desserts, combined with cheeses. At the base are passion and satisfaction. Before this, I did something else, being come back to my territory in touch with nature is a great satisfaction. Mariangela is satisfied with her work, perhaps thanks also to the bright colours of the flowers that blend well with her lively enthusiasm. For centuries, cheese production was also one of the most important activities for the inhabitants of the valley. Francesco comes from Sardinia and in Tramonti di Sotto he found a thread that joins the two regions and that is not limited to the jargon of the tinsmiths. His coming was completely random. I was passing, I came with friends to visit a Sardinian village fellow. This place, unlike ours, was all green and for a shepherd, it is a dream. I started from Siliqua, an arid, beautiful area, but favourable for grazing only for a short period of the year, then the milk runs out. Here I can work until October with these sheep. In a certain way, Sardinia and Friuli are similar regions, they have many things that unite them. We have two real languages, each with its own dialects. Here people appreciate cheese, ricotta, so they value them. In Sardinia, we resist because it is our life, but it is not rewarded. Here, instead, the product is appreciated, has value, and this helps a lot. After having curdled the milk, with the help of his friend Alessandro he takes the pot outside. The majestic mountains and green meadows of the valley thus become the walls and floor of an incomparable natural dairy, which reminds Francesco of his Sardinia. I was lucky enough to be born at the foot of Gennargentu, an enchanting, wonderful place. Here I feel the same sensations, I look around every day and I realize I am in an enchanting place. These mountains are different, but still very beautiful. I think this is the right time to do this job, I think that one day I will go home because it will be the right thing, to continue in my village what my father made, but for now, I stay here. The curd was broken into granules of the desired size with a traditional wooden tool and now has to be put into the "fuscelle" to become cheese. Heavy granite cylinders, strictly Sardinian, favour the escape of excess whey. It's time to make ricotta. By mixing in one direction only and in a concave bottom like this pot, whirlpools are created that help the ricotta detach from the bottom, this way, due to temperature and slow stirring, the ricotta rises… a magic! The appearance is tempting. It is a pity that aromas and flavours cannot be conveyed with images ... The mountain villages have long been sadly subject to depopulation. In addition to neglect of the territory and loss of identity, this phenomenon can also cause problems for those who have remained, first of all, the lack of shops. It also happened in Tramonti di Sotto, but, after years of working in the factory, Cinzia has finally managed to fulfill the dream of giving life to the grocery of the village. I was been thinking to change my life for some time. Then the opportunity arose to reopen the grocery in Tramonti di Sotto which had been closed, leaving a void, the soul was missing in my opinion, the point of reference especially for those who live there, many elderly people who have to arrange themselves with grocery shopping, that need also simply be supported with a word, giving them a meeting point. It was arranged with great love by me, my husband, my daughter, and all the people who helped us. I would like to thank them all and hug them because they worked so that my dream come true. Especially the new generations do not know the realities of our land and the values that our grandparents left us. It is necessary to make them understand that what matters comes from hard work and the simplicity of living. Living here is wonderful for me. I always say, here we are in paradise, maybe we are used to this paradise, but every morning it surprises me to look at the sky, the trees, the birds, walk along the Meduna river, just stand there to feel the wind, even the rain. All the natural events become poetry here in the valley. I think this is my definitive path and I feel that I am leaving something to my daughter. It will certainly not be her life choice but I will make her understand that in life you need sacrifice, determination, and belief in yourself to get results that are worth it. Although cattle breeding no longer holds the importance it once was, in Tramonti di Sotto there are still those who dedicate themselves to it with enthusiasm. Martina is just over twenty years old, but her determination is as great as the passion she puts into managing her farm, which she founded after returning from a period of work in Australia. She has to take care of the maintenance of the fences, the recovery of pastures lost in the long years of neglect, the care of the animals. She dedicates herself to them with passionate love, so sincere and disinterested that her animals perceive it and reciprocate. They come from Ireland and we use them mainly to keep clean the woods. They are very manageable compared to other larger and heavier breeds and therefore when we take them to the highest pastures in the mountains they do not risk slipping, breaking the nets ... What drives everything is the passion because recovering a considerable number of hectares of pasture in a rather disadvantaged area requires a lot of effort. Since I was a child I have a great passion for animals, I like to look after them and make them live well. I don't want them to live in the conditions of certain farms, so we tried to recover as much land as possible to make them live in an open environment, safe because it is all fenced, and that they could live their lives not locked up in a stable or among too narrow fences. Martina's farm is also frequented by some wild fallow deer, one of which, the imposing Lampo, has a very special relationship with her. After losing an eye to an absurd rifle shot, he came to accept her presence after a long period of loving care, during which she partly lost her atavistic fear of human beings. Being wild, it should not be fed in nature, but in this particular case, having needed care and contact with humans, it got used to it. In some ways it is unnatural but in his case, it was his salvation because in nature he could not have survived. Indifferent to food offerings, the sheep have a completely disinterested attachment to Martina. Poly Poly… Bruchi… come on! What she feels for her animals is sincere love and they are instinctively aware of it. Hi nanny, hi Poly. It is profound, in the sense that they are not considered just numbers, they are animals with their own personality, each of them has their own characteristics and a special bond is created whereby they trust you and give you back the world, all the effort you make for them in particular who have been abandoned by their mother, is reciprocated. When I come here in the morning I spend at least 10 minutes with my sheep which give me a sense of calm, many times I sit with them ... Then being surrounded by the mountains gives me a great sense of serenity and peace. If I think about my future, what is the right path for me, I don't see anything without animals. Tramontina Valley is a place of fascinating landscapes and nature, a natural painting painted with the blue of its sky, the thousand green shades of its mountains, and the emerald green of its clear and pure waters. But it is also the casket that preserves a centuries-old history of people who have always been linked to their territory, once poor, but always proudly dignified. People who, skillfully combining inventiveness, artistic taste, and manual skills, have made their places famous. And still today, in Tramonti di Sotto and its hamlets, people of great tenacity and dedication work with love for the good of their valley ... the Tramonti valley.