Strada del Patriarca

Strada del Patriarca dates from the 13th century (at least) when it connected Sacile (controlled by the  patriarch of Aquileia) with the road to Austria.  To reach it I rode down Via Pedemontana  to Villa di Villa.  Head up the hill past the turnoff for Sarmede and soon you reach the  ruin of Castello di Cordignano.  Here you bear right, skirt above a large gravel mine face, and meander steeply through an area with groves of trees alternating with open pastures.  Very sparsely populated, beautiful zone.  Eventually you reach the beech, fir, and karst forest of il Cansiglio (here the road was recently paved and is wonderfully smooth).  Continue climbing steeply to the junction with main road from Sarone to La Crosetta. No snow up here either, just some old thawed/remelted ice.

The ride down through Sarone and home was easy.  Peaceful start to the New Year and a great workout with 12.5 km of 8.6%. 

Castello di Cordignano

Parco Carbonai is an abandoned settlement where
early settlers cut wood and slow-burnt it to make charcoal;
you'll see the turnoff higher up in the beech forest section

Transition to beech forest up around 800 meters 

Snowless Passo di La Crosetta