Anello delle Zinge

The itinerary starts from the church of Norcen, where there are some parking slots and a picnic area. From here you go up the paved road to take, after 20 meters, the mule track on the right.

On the downstream side you can see a hedge of dogwood, field maple and ash, while on the upstream side, among the scattered trees, you can notice a periwinkle undergrowth. Further ahead, the wood, characterized by beautiful black and white hornbeam plants, extends to the entire slope, until at a certain point a glimpse opens towards the village of Norcen. After an initial stretch slightly uphill, the route proceeds slightly downhill and the plants become more robust: among all, a large oak stands out on the left. The strip of wood that follows is a coppice, formed by groups of trees joined at the base, which reveals periodic cuts by man. Once you reach the aqueduct channel, the environment becomes more open and juniper appears at the edge of the wood, a thorny bush that loves arid and sunny lands. 

You now are in Trugno, where the landscape is made up of meadows, fruit trees and fields, which certainly offer abundant food for several animals. Among these is the green woodpecker, who with its call similar to a loud laugh, seems to tease anyone who tries to spot it in its movements. After enjoying the view on the neighboring village of Lamen, on the valley of Feltre and on the Prealps, you take the downhill road, which runs alongside a small torrential incision, and then shortly leads to Norcen.

It is interesting to observe the dry stone wall that marks the road: you can spot stones of different colors, dimensions and origin, as well as a surprising variety of inconspicuous plant shapes such as ferns, mosses and lichens. In the spaces between one stone and another lizards, spiders, snails and other small animals take refuge. A common object becomes in fact an ecosystem in miniature, where the organisms, the bedrock and other environmental factors create a very singular whole.

A little further on you reach the village, near a plastered stone aedicule dedicated to the Madonna della Salute. It is worth taking a small detour to the left to see Villa Norcen, the oldest in the Pedavena Municipality, now used as a rectory. From the roadside altar you can reach the square of Norcen in a few minutes, from where you can go back to the starting point by following the guide of the soaring church tower.    

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION ON… Rural architecture and sacred buildings in Norcen

Norcen is a typical example of a rural settlement which has partially preserved its original appearance.

Until the 19th century the houses were covered partly in wooden scandole and partly in tiles. The facade was porticoed, with an external staircase leading to the wooden piól (walkway). Here the agricultural products were dried and there were the bedrooms. At ground floor there was the kitchen with the larin or the ritonda, in which a wooden seat used to go around the hearth. Attached were the cellar and other deposits and a little further on the small vaulted stable (cuba), where the cattle were kept in the winter months; above was the barn. Located outside the village at 510 m a.s.l., the church of Norcen has very ancient origins. A slab, depicting a lamb and a dove, is in fact walled into the east wall and dates back to the 8th-9th century AD. A short distance away from the church is the 19th century complex of Villa Vecellio, formerly property of the historian from Feltre, Don Antonio. The manor house was completely restored, while at the end of the 19th century the adjacent oratory dedicated to Blessed Bernardino da Feltre was built, where the donor and his mother rest.