Located 588 meters above sea level, the village of Pensoli is made up of around twenty houses and comes to life twice a year thanks to festivities that attract hundreds of visitors.
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A refuge from hyperconnection
Are you looking for a location isolated from the world? A place where you can detox from everyday life, smartphones, PCs and e-mail? It is not necessary to imagine remote atolls in the Pacific Ocean or adventures in the Amazon forest. All you need to do is arm yourself with a good pair of trekking boots and tackle a few kilometers of mountain path until you reach Pensoli, a very small hamlet of Moggio Udinese immersed in the Carnic Prealps, in the province of Udine.
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It is a practically uninhabited village and, above all, isolated from the rest of the world. Ideal for those looking for the so-called “digital detox”: here there are no bars, there is no telephone network, there is no internet. Only houses, ruins, vegetable gardens, springs and fountains. In an ideal world ranking, Pensoli would be placed at the top of the destinations to be suggested for total disconnection from digital devices.
The story of forced isolation
Until a few years ago, Parolali came to life during the summer months, when a few dozen families retreated here to spend their holidays in complete tranquility. The cableway that connected this village, perched on a small rock spur at 588 meters above sea level, represented the main connection with the valley floor. However, a dramatic accident caused the plant to break down and the economic resources necessary to restore it have not yet been found. Since then, there has no longer been a means of fast transport that connects the hamlet with the center of Moggio Udinese.
The village, inhabited until the 1950s by peasant families who carried out their herdsmen activities up here, began to gradually depopulate. The real coup de grâce came with the 1976 earthquake, which ruined several buildings. But the real cause of abandonment is to be found in the scarcity of work and prospects that the village could offer its inhabitants, in the progressive aging of its residents and in the ascetic isolation of its geographical position. Since the 1970s, Parolali has remained practically uninhabited.
How to reach the village suspended in time
Despite the isolation,vòli is not completely unreachable. The ancient and evocative village is located at 567 meters above sea level, approximately 7 kilometers as the crow flies from Moggio Udinese. Anyone who wants to reach it must wear trekking boots and venture along the only mountain path that leads to the center of the village, crossing narrow paths and old panoramic mule tracks.
There are three main ways to get to the town: from Campiolo, from Illegio or from Muggessa. The CAI path 417, which starts from Campiolo Alto, is one of the most popular and requires a walk of around 50 minutes. The route begins alongside the clear and hidden Glanò stream. After crossing a bridge built in 1885, the path enters a forest with a climb with irregular steps that takes the visitor to overcome a difference in height of approximately 218 metres.
For the less adventurous or for those who have to transport materials, there remains the option of taking advantage of the passage of one of the helicopters that occasionally fly over the area and land near what was the urban center.
A periodic rebirth
Despite the apparent abandonment, there are many more people who want to visit Pensoli than you might think. The small Friulian village comes back to life today every weekend thanks to the families who own a second home, around twenty of them, many of whom have engaged in renovation projects. Crossing the town, you will notice some houses for sale and others undergoing restoration, with some small houses showing signs of life: lit fireplaces, flower gardens and soil disturbed for the preparation of the vegetable garden.
But it is above all twice a year that Pensoli really comes back to life, on the occasion of traditional festivities that attract several hundred people. These celebrations represent an important moment of rediscovery of local roots and traditions, attracting not only former inhabitants and their descendants, but also numerous tourists, including many Austrians, fascinated by the particular history of the village and its fascinating distance from modernity.
A heritage to be preserved
Questoli represents a unique example in the Italian panorama of abandoned villages: a place that, despite the difficulties and isolation, continues to attract visitors and keep a centuries-old tradition alive. Its geographical position, which once represented a limit to development, today transforms into a precious resource for those seeking authenticity, silence and contact with nature.
The future of this little jewel of the Carnic Prealps will depend on the ability to find a balance between preservation of the historical identity and the need for minimal connections with the valley. In the meantime, Questoli continues to offer those who have the courage to reach it a unique experience: that of a journey not only in space, but also in time, towards a past that is still palpable among its stone houses and its silent paths.
