Pier Paolo Pasolini's Friuli

A visit to Casarsa must begin at the home of Susanna Colussi, Pasolini's mother, where the writer spent part of his childhood and adolescence. Nowadays, it is home to the Pier Paolo Pasolini Study Centre, which houses a permanent exhibition featuring various documents: a collection of manuscripts from his time in Friuli, including the Quaderni rossi (Red Notebooks) (1946-1947) and the Manifesti politici (Political Manifestos) (1949), Pier Paolo's correspondence with friends and relatives, his ink paintings, and family photos. No need to worry if you don't have a bicycle with you: the Study Centre has some available for those who wish to continue the tour following the suggested itinerary. The second stop is the small church of Santa Croce, with frescoes by Pomponio Amalteo, which Pasolini himself, with the help of the young people of Casarsa, began to clean and restore. You can also see the plaque commemorating the Turkish invasion of 1499, which inspired the play I Turcs tal Friûl. Nearby, the small village of Versuta, with its beautiful church of Sant'Antonio Abate, is a testament to Pasolini's experiences during the Second World War: it was here that the Academiuta di Lenga furlana was founded, an informal literary circle attended by Pasolini and various friends who sought to promote the Friulian language by giving it literary dignity. The church of Versuta, the nearby Versa irrigation canal and the surrounding countryside were commemorated and celebrated by Pier Paolo Pasolini in his Poesie a Casarsa (Poems in Casarsa).
 The small hamlet of San Giovanni di Casarsa, on the other hand, is linked to the poet's political commitment, as it was here that he had posters put up, inspired by himself and written in Italian and Friulian, full of strong political controversy.

San Vito al Tagliamento, certified as one of Italy's Orange Flag villages, is an elegant and vibrant town: throughout the year, it hosts a variety of events, including art exhibitions and theatre performances. The historic centre is home to medieval and Renaissance architecture, a castle lavishly decorated with frescoes, the Church of Santa Maria dei Battuti with frescoes by Pomponio Amalteo, and a small but delightful 18th-century theatre.

San Vito al Tagliamento inspired Pasolini for one reason in particular: in January 1948, San Vito was the scene of a revolt by farmers and labourers over the failure to implement the De Gasperi Law, which provided for compensation for war damage to farmers by landowners. The noble residences of the landowners were taken over by protesters in an attempt to force the landowners to sign an agreement accepting the terms of De Gasperi's proposal. These were dramatic events that Pasolini, a former communist militant and supporter of the rebels' cause, would later immortalise in part of his novel Il sogno di una cosa (The Dream of a Thing), disguising the real name of San Vito under the fictional equivalent of Gruaro.

You can continue by bike from San Vito, following the Anello dei borghi e delle acque R025, a 34 km cycle route suitable for all and offering beautiful scenery. The itinerary includes two of Italy's most beautiful villages, Cordovado and Sesto al Reghena, whose medieval architecture and beautiful surrounding landscape, rich in springs and small lakes, impressed Pasolini, but more than anything else, it was the traces of Ippolito Nievo, an author particularly dear to him, that struck him. Among these, surrounded by trees in a small wood, is the famous Venchiaredo Fountain, celebrated in Neviano's novel Le confessioni d'un Italiano (Confessions of an Italian) and also evoked in verse by Pasolini. The oldest part of Cordovado is the charming Borgo Castello, whose early medieval structures intertwine with the 18th-century lines of two noble residences. Just a short distance away, Sesto al Reghena is home to a Benedictine abbey of Lombard origin, fortified in the 10th century to such an extent that it became a sort of castle with a defensive system of moats and towers. 

From Sesto al Reghena, the route returns to San Vito, completing the R025 loop, and then follows a section of the FVG6 cycle path to reach Valvasone.

 The beautiful medieval village of Valvasone is known for being the place where Pasolini worked as a teacher in the local lower secondary school from 1947 to autumn 1949. But the town, which Pasolini described as a "city of silence", also exerted other influences on the young and sensitive poet, linked in particular to the charm of the past and art.

The village retains its medieval appearance, with charming narrow streets and ancient residences complete with porticoes. Developed around an imposing castle of early medieval origin, today it resembles a stately residence from the sixteenth century. Inside, the castle houses late Gothic and Renaissance frescoes and a beautiful 18th-century wooden theatre.

On your return, before handing back the bicycle to the Study Centre, don't forget to pay your last respects to Pasolini, who rests in the cemetery of his beloved Casarsa.