Stage K-C 4

Castelmonte/Stara gora‒Cividale del Friuli/Čedad‒San Pietro al Natisone/Špiètar

Medium | 1–2 days

This stage is undemanding in technical view, but with its 23.5 kilometres it is one of the longest stages of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic. It can be divided to two parts. Stop in Cividale del Friuli/Čedad and do a sightseeing of the city which was ranked on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.
As the two previous stages (K-C 2, K-C 3), this stage of the Walk of Peace runs partly along the Alpe Adria Trail (AAT), then descends to Purgessimo and continues towards Cividale del Friuli/Čedad. After crossing the residential part of the city, you come to Piazza della Resistenza, and to the right of the square enter the historic part of Cividale del Friuli.
At this point you leave the AAT; continue along Via Borgo di Ponte and within a few minutes you come to one of the most important symbols of this ducal town, the Devil’s Bridge (Ponte del Diavolo) over the Natisone/Nadiža River. From here, you can start exploring the city on your own and, with the help of signposts, find the Celtic Hypogeum  (Ipogeo Celtico), the Lombard Temple (Tempietto Longobardo) and the many museums in the city centre. Also recommended is a visit to the Nordis Palace (Palazzo de Nordis), where the Information Centre is also housed.
If you want to continue immediately towards San Pietro al Natisone/Špietar, take the streets Corso Mazzini and Via Carlo Alberto, along which you will come to Viale della Libertà and World War I Museum 1915‒1918 (Museo della Grande Guerra 1915‒1918), which is housed in the premises of a former railway station.
The second part of the stage starts at this point which again directs you towards the Valle del Natisone/Nadiške doline. To avoid the busy roads on the way to San Pietro al Natisone/Špietar, cross the Borgo San Domenico area, following the street of the same name and then the streets Via Piave, Via Zuccola and Via delle Acque, which will bring you to Sanguarzo. Cross the small bridge and continue straight on Strada di Guspergo Road (the road is open to traffic so pay attention). After a kilometre you will come to a fork of three roads where you turn left onto Via San Floreano Street, a dirt road that gently ascends to Castello di Guspergo Castle and onwards towards the top of the hill Monte dei Bovi.
Here the road starts to descent and brings you to the village of Macorins/Mahorin (where you will come across tarmac again) and then to the village of Vernasso/Barnas. When you arrive at a crossroad with a small chapel, take the road on the left and continue straight on along the road towards Oculis/Nokula and all the way to the pedestrian bridge on your right which is kind of an entry point to San Pietro al Natisone. There are but some minutes of walk to the SMO Museum and the Walk of Peace Visitor Centre, both housed in the same building.

Photos: (1, 3, 6, 7) Fundacija Poti miru;(2) Marco Milani, PromoTurismoFVG; (4, 5) Schirra/Giraldi, PromoTurismoFVG; (8) PromoTurismoFVG