Verzegnis

The deep green of the woods and the red of the marble quarry are the colours of Verzegnis, a collective place-name that is perhaps derived from the shades of its lush greenery. Verzegnis is historically one of Carnia’s oldest settlements. Intense digging activity at the Colle Mazeit archaeological site, not far from the little village of Chiaulis, has yielded important testimonies which have allowed the site's origins to be reconstructed. Finds and structures conrming human presence in the area from the 4th Millennium B.C. up to the mediaeval period have been uncovered. The clearly visible remains of a guard tower belonging to a much larger fortied structure indeed date back to the Mediaeval period. The municipal area stretches from the Tagliamento river bed to the summit of Monte Verzegnis. Widely varying altitude has favoured the development of established settlements on the valley bottom and many rustic houses associated with farming activities at higher altitudes. The settlement structure is distributed across four main villages, Chiaulis, Villa, Chiaicis and Intissans, and eight smaller villages, where you can admire ancient sixteenth and seventeenth century homes and rustic houses with unusual construction details, including the T-shaped hay barn doors, found in only a very small number of other places in the region. Casa Bondanzia in Chiaulis, a large house with a long balcony, is one of the most characteristic buildings, although other rural homes in the smaller villages stand out with their unusual stone arch façades, steps and long wooden balconies.