The scheduled departure to Cividale del Friuli was postponed from 8.30 to 9.30 due to the previous day's extended evening out after the sponsored dinner. After a 1.5-hour bus ride, we arrived in the medieval town at 11:00, where we immediately began to explore the town centre. There were several historical sights waiting for us, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Lombard Temple of Santa Maria in Valle.

After a short walk and crossing the Devil's Bridge "Ponte del Diavolo", we ended up at the Taverna Longobarda where traditional Italian delicacies awaited us. Or rather, we were waiting for them, which is why the onward journey to Osoppo was postponed by a quarter of an hour.

Photo of the Devil's Bridge in Cividale del Friuli

Photo of the Devil's Bridge in Cividale del Friuli

Arriving in Osoppo at the Fantoni company, we had the honour of being guided through the entire factory by Marco Fantoni, grandson of the company founder himself. Fantoni is known for the production of MDF and PB boards, office furniture and complete office furnishings. We were first escorted into the foyer to see the Fantoni Museum, then we listened to a talk about the company's history and production methods before setting off on a tour of the factory halls.

After a thorough exploration of the Fantoni company premises, we were taken on a "half marathon through the wood Sahara" (quote from D. Fischer), during which we were informed about the process of wood preparation for fibreboard production and were able to see some recycling processes where foreign particles were detected and sorted out using X-rays or infrared radiation. We were also able to see how the wood chips were compressed further and further in a press over 60 metres long and how the finished MDF boards could be inspected at the end of the press. At the last stop on the tour, we were able to see how the finished MDF boards were laminated, thus finalising the raw materials for furniture production. After the really impressive tour, which could have been a lot longer due to the enormous size of the company premises, we made our way to the Azienda Agricola Buzzinelli winery in the village of Cormons at 4.30 pm.

Despite some minor obstacles that we had to overcome on the way, we made it to the winery on time at 6.00 pm. We were warmly welcomed there, but the planned tour was much shorter than planned due to the hosts' almost non-existent knowledge of English and our inability to understand Italian. Nevertheless, we were given a tour of the winery and were able to taste 5 selected wines at the end. There were also Italian specialities such as prosciutto and cheese. Furthermore, some of the participants didn't want to miss out on taking a fine drop of wine home with them.

Group photo at the wine tasting

Group photo at the wine tasting

Photo of the vineyards in Cormons

Photo of the vineyards in Cormons

Report: B. Hajas, A. Kirnbauer, E. Peck