Comune di Forni di Sopra - Sito ufficiale

Surrounded by the beautiful peaks of the Dolomiti Orientali, the small town of Forni di Sopra is the main mountain resort of the region Friuli Venezia Giulia, as far as the number of hosting facilities is concerned and also because it is widely renown as an "Alpine Beauty".

Forni di Sopra is located in the heart of the Dolomiti Friulane, within the province of Udine. Life, quietness and sport have here the opportunity of being set in an environment which has been recently declared by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites (in June 2009.)

In February 2006 this town received the title of "ALPINE PEARL" according to the European project for mountain areas development called "Alps Mobility II - Alpine Pearls".
Since 2006 the municipality of the town owns a Certificate for Environmental Management, according to the rules of EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme).
Part of the territory is included in the Natural Park of the Dolomiti Friulane, which stretches from an altitude of 900m (where the urban area is located), up to the altitude of about 2600m of the highest Dolomite peak of the area (Vetta di Forni). Inside its boundaries you can choose from a wide variety of naturalistic routes, suitable both for hikers and mountaineers. Tourists can enjoy here a series of sport facilities, among which are worth to mention the first-rate indoor swimming pool and the multi-purpose sporting complex in which it is included.

The vitality of the town is granted by the presence of an active consortium for tourist services (Consorzio Servizi Turistici), and a great number of sporting, cultural and voluntary associations, which all together cooperate on offering many opportunities of amusement and fun to the always welcome guests of this place.

In winter, Forni di Sopra becomes one of the 5 skiing resorts of the region and its ski slopes are divided in two areas:
- The Davòst area, located at the bottom of the valley, is equipped with a chairlift, a ski lift and a couple of treadmills designed for beginners and amateurish ski competitions. Here you can also find, not far from a typical ski bar with solarium, the Fantasy Snow Park, a winter playground where you can slide (night and day) on sleighs and rubber dinghy
-The Varmòst ski area offers you the opportunity of climbing up to the 2100mt of the top of mount Crusicalas (the highest ski slope in the region). Before descending, you can enjoy from this point a breathtaking view over the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Dolomiti Friulane and many other Eastern Alps. The total amount of 15km of ski slopes you can ski on are always perfectly snow-covered thanks to the numerous snow-cannons of the imposing snow-production system. On the way down the very long "Varmòst" slope (7km) you can have a break at the Self-Service Varmòst (1750 a.s.l.) or at the Baita Som-Picòl (1400 a.s.l.), two excellent resting points (opened in summer as well) where you can relax, sunbathe and enjoy delicious traditional cooking.
Beside the downhill slopes, Forni di Sopra offers you a Cross Country Ski circuit of 10km, set in an enchanting landscape of groves and clearings., which includes a night ring lighted and equipped with snow-cannons. The circuit has been certified by the FISI (Italian Federation for Winter Sports) so that it can also host international ski competitions.

It is also possible to skate on the ice rink or play tennis, volleyball, basketball and many other sports in the multi-purpose sporting complex.

Both winter and summer outdoor activities include trips and excursions (organized by the Natural Guides in the territory of the Natural Park of the Dolomiti Friulane), as well as didactic walking routes, excursions with snowshoes and icefall climbs. In late summer the town has hosted for many years important grass ski competitions, like the World Championship in 2001. What is more, in September, since 2004, Forni di Sopra is an usual location on the Grass Ski World Cup calendar

The Varmòst area is very appreciated in summer because it offers you, through the use of the chairlift, the opportunity of reaching comfortably the alpine hut that takes the same name, where you can buy typical dairy products. This place is also a suitable area to take off with paraglide as well as the starting point of the striking Tour of the Alpine Huts (Giro delle Malghe) .

On the South-West edge of the mount Clap Varmòst, which looks directly over Forni di Sopra, it is possible to try the ferrata sportiva VARMOST, a via ferrata unique of this sort in Friuli, along which you can feel the thrill of a daring rock climb (two options: easy route / demanding route) and enjoy a three-sixty outlook over the Dolomites of Friuli and Cadore.

The Dolomiti Adventure Park is a a great adventure park made up of 55 overhead platforms, divided into 3 children routes and 5 adult routes. It is endowed with the newest "natural attractions", which consist of different crossing systems, from one tree to another, made up of ropes, flying bridges, nets, rungs and dizzying cableways. In addition to this, the park offers you the exclusive POWERFAN, a patented system that allows you to literally dive from the top of a tree

For those who are fond of Mountain Bike, Forni di Sopra can surely live up to the top of their expectations: the 25 km long Tagliamento track is one of the most appreciated in the region. It develops almost entirely along dirt roads, paths and clearings along the Tagliamento river. For more trained bikers, the forest roads which lead to the mountain refuge of Giaf and the alpine huts of Tartoi, Tragonia and Montemaggiore represent further adventurous options.
HAVE A LOOK AT THE MAP OF THE MTB TRAK HERE