Slow Collio, “un Paesaggio da Bere” (Slow Collio, a Terrain to Drink). Upon reading the inviting name of this cycling itinerary, two contradictory thoughts came to mind.
First: What a great concept, combining the territory and the wine, all the while promoting the slow enjoyment of both; and then, in my experience hills and drinking wine could present a cycling challenge.
Then: the fact that the word “Collio” implies hills, which gave me, a not-so-fit wine enthusiast, a moment of sober reflection, before my enthusiasm for being outdoors, and visiting wineries to taste local wines kicked back in.
What I Learned
In the far northeast corner of Italy, bordered on the north and east by Slovenia, lies Italy’s wine paradise of the Collio. Not to be confused with its northern and western wine region neighbor, the Colli Orientale di Friuli, the Collio region likewise falls within the Italian region of Friuli. The Collio wine region, which has its own Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status, is a relatively small enclave of approximately 1600 hectares (about 4000 acres), running south to north from Gorizia to Dolegna. Cormons, a town larger in fame within wine circles than in size, is at its spiritual, if not geographical, center.
Trail Name: Gorizia a Cormons (AKA: Slow Collio, Un Paesaggio da Bere)
Trail Type: Short distance cycling circuit (with a short tail from Gorizia); about half on lightly travelled paved roads through and between towns, and half on improved earthen trails through countryside, mostly in a protected nature zone; well maintained, but the route itself is well-marked in places, but not in others.
Length: 23 kilometers/ 14.3 miles
Convenient to: Udine, Gorizia, Italy
Marking: FVG3 and Slow Collio.
