The Friulian Dolomites are the quiet cousins of the famous peaks around Cortina, and that is precisely their charm. West of the Tagliamento, between the Piave and the Friulian plain, these rugged limestone mountains rise in jagged ridges and pinnacles, with deep valleys and very few roads. They are part of the UNESCO Dolomites site and form the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti Friulane, a wild area of forests, gorges and rock towers, including the extraordinary Campanile di Val Montanaia, a needle of rock standing alone in a high valley like a stone bell tower. Chamois, ibex, golden eagles and marmots live here, and the silence on the high trails is profound.
The valleys carry a painful memory. On 9 October 1963, a massive landslide from Monte Toc fell into the reservoir behind the Vajont dam, just west of Erto and Casso, and a wave of water overtopped the dam and swept down into the Piave valley, destroying the town of Longarone and killing nearly two thousand people. The dam itself survived and still stands, an eerie concrete wall above a valley filled with rubble. Visits are possible, and the story is told with great honesty at memorials in the area.
The road through the Val Cellina and over the Passo di Sant'Osvaldo, from Cimolais and Claut to Erto and down to Longarone, is a great ride: narrow, winding, with tunnels, hairpins and views of the mountains and the old dam. Surfaces can be uneven, and some tunnels are narrow and poorly lit. To the north, the road from Forni di Sopra over the Passo della Mauria toward Cadore is another fine route, with good curves and little traffic. Weather can be unpredictable, with sudden storms in summer, and snow at higher elevations from autumn to spring.
Cimolais and Claut are small villages with a few bars, shops and restaurants, but fuel is limited, so fill up in larger towns such as Maniago or Longarone before heading into the mountains. Local food includes frico, a crisp cheese and potato dish, and polenta with game or mushrooms. Stop at the visitor centre in Cimolais, then ride on to the Vajont dam and stand on the crest above the valley. It is a sobering place, and the mountains around it are beautiful.