Between pastures and trenches: the lakes of Tarond and Crasulina

Moving slightly further east, along the mountain ridge linking Monte Crostis to Zoufplan, the route leads to the lakes of Tarond and Crasulina. This circular route, approximately 9 kilometres long, runs at an altitude of between 1,900 and 2,000 metres, through a landscape dominated by high-altitude grasslands, rhododendron and blueberry bushes. As well as its naturalistic interest – the lakes’ waters are fed almost exclusively by snowmelt and are home to a highly specialised high-altitude fauna – the route is of considerable historical importance. Walking along the grassy ridges, one comes across the remains of fortifications, trenches and mule tracks from the First World War, part of the ‘Carnia Zone’, where Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers faced off in a gruelling war of position.