House in Arta Terme, Friuli-Venezia Giulia

The house is situated in the heart of the Carnic Alps. They are predominantly karst mountains with ragged peaks. These are known from the Dolomites, some of the most spectacular peaks in the world, and only 1 to 2(3) hours from us (1).  The mountains are characterised by broad riverbeds often with surprisingly little water, as it drains to the underground forming sinkholes and caves.

There are beautiful lakes in our area, fx. Lago di Cavazzo with sailing and sports activities in the Summer (2), and Lago di Verzegnis (foto left). Both are ≈ 20 km from the house.

Our town is Arta Terme (we are in the upper part named Piano d'Arta). It has a large wellness center with hot baths and many other 'items' for exhausted bodies (3).

Guinness' Book of Records lists Grotto Gigante near Trieste as the World's largest tourist cave, 107 m high, 280 m broad (4), and Škocjanske jame in Slovenia close to Trieste has the World's largest underground canyon; it is on UNESCO's World Heritage List (5).

There are hiking opportunities in valleys and mountains in our area with many well-marked trails. Dolomiti Friulane is considered one of the most spectacular regions of the Dolomites (6), and is on the UNESCO list (7).

The likewise magnificent Triglav National Park in the Julian alps in Slovenia is only 1.5 hours away from us (8). You may drive to the park through one of the most beautiful mountain roads in the alps: via the ski resort Sella Nevea and further on to Lago del Predil on the Italian side. Slovenia is in the EU, so there are no boarder formalities, and Euro is the currency as in Italy. Many people in Slovenia speak/understand English. This is in contrast to our area, but try out a few kind words in Italian, and everybody will try and help you with a smile.

Flora and fauna in the mountains are fascinating, see the marmots below. The birds around the house are also beautiful, see the goldfinch below/right, mixed with fireflies in the Summer evenings. Butterfly-town "numero uno", Bordano, lies only 30 min from the house (9).