Cyclovia Alpe-Adria - Stage 6

Venzone - Udine (around 55 km) - Today was the day when we definitely completed the Alpe part of the tour and turned towards the Adriatic. Just a few kilometers after Venzone (and fortunately also the busy SS13, which you have to follow for just under 2 km), the valley widens and the spectacular mountain scenery slowly transitions into the Friulian plain. On the right side, we catch a glimpse of the Tagliamento River, which flows turquoise and meanders its way towards the Adriatic, where it will also form the border between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto further south.

But it is far from monotonous. The cycle path follows a zigzag course, through small towns, along a canal with crystal clear water that makes you want to take a swim, through sleepy villages, along vegetable and cereal fields. Sometimes you feel like you are riding directly through the gardens of the people who live here. And if you were to stop at every small bar and osteria by the roadside for a refreshing beer, the ride would soon end up in the ditch. It is not completely flat either, and there are still a few short but challenging climbs to conquer, which, unlike on the north side of the Alps, are rewarded with long descents. And it becomes Mediterranean, eventually the first palm tree appeared and soon after the first pine trees, their scent means summer. Chirping cicadas also provide the perfect acoustic background.

The atmosphere on the cycle path is great. People greet each other friendly and exchange a few words here and there. You see some familiar faces from time to time, and the anticipated difficult encounters (e.g. with 20-person e-bike tours whose participants sat on a bike for the first time two days ago) have hardly taken place. Only today we encountered twice a reasonably heterogeneous group of somewhat disoriented individuals, who tried to communicate the further direction in their native language by shouting loudly at intersections and performing for other people quite unpredictable driving maneuvers. This despite the fact that the signage of the cycle path leaves nothing to be desired in Austria or Italy! On the Alpe-Adria, you can safely leave the map at home.

So in the end, still zigzagging, we arrive in the provincial and regional capital of Udine, which we already know. At least we thought so because we made a day trip here a few years ago. However, we had never spent the evening here before, and that is a very big difference. Udine is once again a typical example of a city that does not appear on the mass tourism radar - fortunately - but has so much to offer. And now that the weather is finally cooperating, the Italianità and the feeling of summer vacation are finally here. And from here, it is only about 50 km to the sea.