Val Aupa - Sernio (via normale)

Access to starting point:
Drive to Tablja (it. Pontebba) in Italy.

From Via Macroni street turn right to Via Zardini street. Immediately after driving through the underpass, turn left. Afterwards keep left or straight. There are markings for Val Aupa and for the city limit of Pontebba. From this sign, drive 14.4 km to Val Aupa (you will pass Studena Alta, Sella di Cereschiatis and the villages Saps and Bevorchians).

Soon afterwards, two roads branch off to the right, the first one before the bridge and the second one after the bridge. Take a turn right at the second one. To be sure, check the signs, there should be a sign "Rif. Grauzaria, sentiero n. 437" (the sign is in distinctive brown color). See a photo. Follow the paved road a few bends higher through a pine forest to the parking place.

Option 2: drive to Možac (it. Moggio Udinese) in Italy and turn for Val Aupa. After Dordolla two roads branch off to the left (with a bridge between them). See pictures. Follow the first paved road a few bends higher through a pine forest to the parking place.

Path description:
The ascent starts at the upper end of the parking place, which ends with a steep right-hand bend. Here, climb a few steps further along the asphalt road, then turn left onto the footpath following the markings. The footpath soon forks; in the next few minutes, follow right twice to a wider cart track and follow it uphill. Soon our path 437 branches off to the right; a careful hiker will notice the number 1 on a stone here. Follow path 437; soon there is a new junction where the path to the village Grauzaria (paese Grauzaria) and the bridge Dordolla (ponte Dordolla) branches off left. Here we continue right and ascend along the path that without major bends or serpentines runs westwards. The pine forest is soon completely replaced by beech forest. Further on, cross a spring, but since it flows over muddy ground, water cannot be taken here. The ascent along the path through the forest leads to a junction where we continue right (left is again the path to the villages Dordolla and Grauzaria) and past the abandoned alpine pasture Flop (it.: Malga Flop).

Panoramic panels along the path, from photographs from 1941, show former life on this pasture, where now only ruined remains of walls of former barns remain, and the pastures are slowly shrinking and being overgrown by forest.

After the pasture, the path first continues through the forest, then at less visible markings for the hut (30 minutes away), the view opens up. Here, the mighty wall and head of the mountain Cima della Sfinge (1847 m) appears to the hiker, and to the right towards the west also Cima dai Gjai (1916 m). Between these two mountains runs a steep but marked path to the Portonat saddle. Left at the forest edge branches off the path to bivouac Feruglio; we continue along the easy path westwards. Several torrent beds are crossed to the hut. In the last climb about 30 to 50 meters below the hut and at the last torrent bed, the path to Portonat saddle (1860 m) branches off left. The Rifugio Grauzaria hut is open in summer time, overnight stays possible. There is also drinking water at the hut.

Behind the hut, turn into the forest and follow path no. 437 for 45 minutes to the saddle Foran de la Gjialine (1551 m), from which an excellent view opens onto the mountain Sernio.

From the saddle, take the path descending towards southwest. In the first few minutes, already turn onto the left path marked 419 towards saddle Forca Nuviernulis (1732 m), another 45 minutes walk. To the saddle, pass an unmarked junction, but continue following the left path (the right path, initially unmarked, rejoins us west of Torre Nuviernulis, 1884 m; it is a shortcut that due to partly scree base is more suitable for descent, but perhaps only for hikers accustomed to walking on loose terrain).

From saddle Forca Nuviernulis (1732 m), the path descends and then on the southern side circumvents Torre Nuviernulis so that after the descent it soon starts ascending again westwards first on steep grass (one 1.5 m high section UIAA I-) then on gentler terrain. The path with altitude passes into loose terrain south of Torre Ivano (1874 m) then the path becomes demanding. Soon the hiker encounters two separate sections of difficulty -I. The path then enters a gully, from which it soon turns/climbs (difficulty around I) right onto the ledge above it. At this point descent is more difficult than ascent, but the terrain is not exposed, nearby there is also an anchor where rope can be used. From here the path goes onto the southern slopes, is partly demanding, leads along loose slope northwards and reaches the summit from the east, where the climbing path from the northwest slope of the mountain also joins us.

On the summit there are two crosses, a bell, the stamp is in the Rifugio Grauzaria hut.

Sernio is the highest mountain in this part of the range and therefore an excellent viewpoint. Towards the east stands out the nearby Creta Grauzaria (2065 m), behind it Čuk (Zuc dal Bor) (2195 m) and the western part of the Julian Alps with Montaž (2753 m) at the front. Somewhat further south is also the Kanin range. In the distance towards the west rises the highest mountain of the Carnic Alps, i.e. Monte Coglians / Hohe Warte, behind it the Dolomites are visible on the horizon. Towards the south the mountains are lower, where among others Amariana (1905 m) is visible. To the north opens another endless series of mountains with the Hohe Tauern in the background.

Times: Rifugio Grauzaria (1h 20 min); Foran de la Gjialine (2h 05 min); Forca Nuviernulis (2h 50 min); Sernio (4h 30min).

Description and photos from June 2019.

On the way: Malga Flop (980m), Rifugio Grauzaria (1250m), Foran de la Gjialine (1551m), Forca Nuviernulis (1732m)