We the Italians June 28, 2015 - 63 | Page 45

th # 63 • June 28 , 2015 The Fagagna village is actually made up of seven ancient and separate suburbs that construction development put together in a single urban centre over the last decades, extending spaces of the countryside to new buildings. Like other areas in the north-east, here progress made its mark on ancient rural physiognomy as well: modern roof tiles, aluminum gates, incongruous plasterworks, internal emptying, newly constructed floors on buildings, cobblestone pavements replaced by asphalt cement. Luckily, there is reversal of this trend, and Fagagna has also decided to rally its soul. The first step is to restore the old cobblestone pavements that will allow to combine a fascinating route connecting the village square, the castle, small rural church and arriving, through the forest, to a small military pillbox that is about to be transformed into a small museum. Even now, leaving the municipality building, you can go up towards hill where the castle is located through an old paved road (vicolo Morcjùte and via Cecconaia street). On the top, there are Palazzo della Comunità palace, which was the administrative and judicial headquarters of the Fragagna community since the beginning of the 16th century until 1797, and the castle ruins, mals, of must because wine is the oldest part of which is from being produced, of carbon in the 11th century. the forge, the fragrance of baked bread and flour in the mill. Going through another paved There are ladies making lace, street, via Salizzada, you arrive those who are using a spindle, at Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta a miller, a smith and finally, a church. It was built, perhaps on glass of wine waiting for us in some preexisting paleochri- the tavern. stian ruins, in the 13th century and its bell tower that shyly You can re-emerge into the appears behind castle, has past, but immediately return to been watching over the village the present by entering a small for centuries. From the chur- Church of S.Leonardo (14th ch, passing along panoramic century) with its evanescent street such as via dei Tigli and frescoes of the 14th century. via della Pieve, you arrive at a Again, we face an ancient small small fortified house dating to path (vicolo degli Orzinutti), a the 14th century and finally to pair of other streets (in via Umberto I street there is Palazzo Nigris palace(18th century) and the we arrive again at the town square. From the municipality building we now take another route, towards Borgo Paludo. Once you’ve passed by Asquini and Pico palaces( the first was the residence of a noble family, built in the 17th century; the Museum of a farmer’s life the other is a type of factory housed within Cjase Cocèl, a building, where once tobacco typical country home of Friuli was treated), you arrive at the of the 17th century. old district, where you can see Palazzo Pecile (18th century) Here, a long pause is manda- and a line of old houses with tory because this is, perhaps, nice main entranceways (Via the most lively, the most real Paludo and Via Lucca). and complete museum of a farmer’s daily life in Italy. All ro- From Via Paludo you can turn oms from the Friulan memory back to the castle and to the are recreated; from to kitchen church to leave, passing throuwith its fogolâr , to the bedro- gh a panoramic road (Daûr om set as a barn. The smells are Glesie road) to a small pilremarkable: those of stables lbox from World War I and signifying the presence of ani- from there, following the road WE THE ITALIANS | 45 www.wetheitalians.com