“Barcolana Lake Up” is born: a new event celebrating inland waters, centred around the Lake Of The Three Municipalities and the Tagliamento River

After Grado and Lignano, Barcolana57 presented by Generali heads to Northern Friuli, bringing an event dedicated to outdoor and water sports to the shores of Lake Cavazzo – also known as the Lake of the Three Municipalities.

On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October, Barcolana Lake Up will debut as a new addition to the official calendar, carrying the spirit of the Barcolana into the inland waters of Friuli Venezia Giulia – connecting places, passions and people where “the sea begins”.

The initiative aims to highlight a still little-known area of extraordinary natural beauty and to promote an active, sustainable lifestyle. The two-day event, open to all, blends competitive and non-competitive sports with community gatherings, nature and celebration – all centred around the water of rivers and the lake, and the sports that allow us to enjoy it in harmony with the environment.

“The decision to bring Barcolana to the Lake of the Three Municipalities,” said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, “was, first and foremost, an emotional one. Many sailors from Friuli Venezia Giulia grew up racing Optimists on this lake, and we’re pleased to return. But it’s more than that: it’s an invitation to meet where the sea begins – in rivers and lakes. Our passion for the blue embraces lakes, rivers and all the ecosystems that flow into the sea. Barcolana Lake Up brings our spirit and event to places we've never been before – far from the sea, but close to people in passion and soul.
From this edition onwards, we are expanding the scope of the event and creating new connections between people, places and landscapes. Barcolana arrives in Northern Friuli respectfully and attentively, embracing and enhancing the treasures of the area: stunning landscapes, outdoor sports opportunities, local identity and social bonds.
Barcolana Lake Up offers two days to promote and showcase the lake – through sport, nature and celebration.”

THE PROGRAMME – Barcolana Lake Up offers a weekend for everyone, with both competitive and non-competitive activities designed to engage people of all ages and abilities.

Saturday 4 October is dedicated to outdoor sports with two non-competitive events:
A 30-kilometre cycling tour organised by Pedale Gemonese will take place on a route suitable for all types of bikes – mountain, gravel and e-bikes – passing through Trasaghis, Cavazzo, Venzone and Bordano.

At the same time, the Tagliamento River will host a non-competitive descent in kayaks, packrafts and rafting rafts, covering approximately 8 kilometres from Pioverno to Ospedaletto di Gemona del Friuli. This activity, curated by Scuola Kayak & Rafting Friuli, will follow a route designed to symbolically link the river with the cycle path.

Sunday 5 October brings a spectacle both on the lake and in the sky.
The programme features a model sailing regatta, promoted by the Italian Model Sailing Association and ASD Nautilago, starring remote-controlled boats up to two metres in length. A true “mini-Barcolana”, this event will replicate the magic of the great regatta, with a line start and a two-mile windward-leeward course sure to thrill spectators.

Meanwhile, the skies above Lake Cavazzo – or the Lake of the Three Municipalities – will host the “Speed Run” paragliding competition, organised by Volo Libero Friuli. In this exhilarating event, pilots will race against the clock to complete a course guided by “virtual buoys” marked by the bell towers of Bordano, Interneppo and Alesso di Trasaghis, finishing over the lake – a spectacular sight visible from the ground.

In the afternoon, prize-giving ceremonies will celebrate all activities and culminate in a festive moment for participants to share their experiences.

Barcolana Lake Up is held in collaboration with the municipalities of Cavazzo, Bordano and Trasaghis, the associations ASD Nautilago, Pedale Gemonese, Scuola Kayak & Rafting Friuli, Italian Model Sailing Association, Volo Libero Friuli,and Sportland, with the support of PromoTurismo FVG, whose “Io sono FVG” brand accompanies Barcolana throughout the region, supporting initiatives that place the relationship between environment, sport and community at their heart.

“The world’s largest and most popular regatta,” said Regional Councillor for Economic Development and Tourism, Sergio Emidio Bini, “is an essential showcase for promoting both Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Every year, the ten days of Barcolana events engage both coast and hinterland as a single destination.
The key is working together: collaboration between the Region and the organisers has brought side events to Grado, Lignano and, from this year, to the mountains of Friuli, involving Lake Cavazzo. This is an important opportunity, strongly backed by the Region, to promote our territory and reveal some of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s hidden gems.”

“I’d like to thank the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Councillor Bini and the entire Barcolana team – especially President Mitja Gialuz, who reached out through Martina Andenna to involve me in this wonderful project,”commented Matteo Michielon, Vice President of the Nautilago Association. “On a personal level, I am extremely proud – I grew up sailing, and the Barcolana has always been the most anticipated regatta of the year, the chance to go to sea with the ‘big boats’.
Hosting such a prestigious event here is not only an honour but a major opportunity to showcase a territory where nature, sport and community come together.
Only by working together can we help reveal the lesser-known areas of Friuli Venezia Giulia! This initiative also comes at the perfect time: this year we’ve started working to extend the tourist season at the lake into the winter months – and an event like this, in early October, is the ideal launchpad for this new phase. Barcolana Lake Up brings visibility, excitement and activity at a time when the season usually winds down.
A special thank-you goes to ASD Nautilago, the local sailing association where I took my first steps – or rather, my first tacks – into the wonderful world of sailing. The association, under the leadership of Tomaso Pressacco, continues to train dozens of sailors each year, both children and adults, in an area perfectly suited to learning the sport.
I also thank the mayors of the lakeside towns and local associations: Stefania Pisu (Trasaghis), Gianluigi Colomba (Bordano), Tiziana D’Agaro (Cavazzo), and Roberto Reveland (Gemona) with the Sportland project – all of whom were immediately enthusiastic and collaborative.
Thanks also to Luigi Seravalli (Volo Libero Friuli), Mariangela Damiano (Pedale Gemonese), Massimo Morin (Modelvela), and Alessandro Merci (Scuola Kayak & Rafting Friuli), all united by a strong and sincere desire to shine a light on our territory.
We welcome Barcolana to Northern Friuli with joy and gratitude – confident that this is just the beginning of a new network of connections among people, landscapes and authentic emotions.”

“On behalf of the administration and community of Cavazzo Carnico,” added Mayor Tiziana D’Agaro, “I warmly thank Barcolana for choosing to showcase, enhance and promote the Lake and our whole territory by organising two days of events that represent an invaluable opportunity for us.
Thanks must also go to all those who, in different ways, believed in Barcolana Lake Up and are contributing to its realisation – something we are all proud of. From the outset, we have supported and appreciated the nature-sport pairing, as it helps keep the spotlight on the lake – sharing not only its extraordinary beauty but also its fragility, and working to make it increasingly accessible, including in terms of tourism, through rewilding and environmental restoration.
Promoting this area, supporting sustainable growth for the businesses and associations that have invested in it, and building synergy among all possible stakeholders – these are the winning cards we can play.
Thank you all for this wonderful opportunity – and welcome to Barcolana Lake Up!”

“I thank Barcolana,” said Gianluigi Colomba, Mayor of Bordano, “for involving and including our communities in this exciting initiative, which will undoubtedly help to further showcase the surrounding natural beauty.
We are pleased and fully supportive of this event, which embraces not only the Lake of the Three Municipalities but also the Tagliamento River.
Bordano is blessed to be nestled between these two natural treasures – the lake in the hamlet of Interneppo, and the Tagliamento in the town centre – and hosts numerous sports activities. Involving sailing, paragliding, cycling and kayaking enthusiasts in this event will surely create a powerful moment of connection and appreciation for the unique beauty of our region.”

“Welcoming Barcolana Lake Up to our region,” said Stefania Pisu, Mayor of Trasaghis, “is a source of great enthusiasm and pride for us.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region – in particular to Regional Councillor for Tourism and Productive Activities Sergio Emidio Bini – and to Mitja Gialuz, President of the Barcola and Grignano Sailing Society, for choosing to involve our community in this event. I would also like to thank Martina Andenna and the Vice President of ASD Nautilago, Matteo Michielon, for embracing this important opportunity for collaboration.
The Lake of the Three Municipalities (Lago dei Tre Comuni) is a unique natural heritage site, to which the lakeside communities are deeply attached. It is also a place of interest and tourism development that, as local administrations, we are committed to enhancing.
This is a strategic moment for the development of the Lake of the Three Municipalities: the FVG Region has recently approved a budget amendment that allocates €2,830,000 for an initial phase of tourism revitalisation for the lake. This development is also the subject of a Master Plan – funded by the Region and coordinated by the Gemonese Mountain Community – through which our municipal administrations intend to bring about ambitious and forward-looking enhancement of the lake.
In this context, seeing our lake become the stage for such a prestigious event, centred on sport, nature and community participation, means recognising years of hard work by this area in pursuit of sustainable and high-quality tourism promotion.
As a local authority, we strongly believe in the potential of the Lake of the Three Municipalities and in the importance of synergistic collaboration among institutions, associations, businesses and citizens to make this vision a reality.
We thank Barcolana for choosing to include the Lake of the Three Municipalities in this initiative, which we are sure will bring powerful and exciting experiences – and we hope it marks just the beginning of a fruitful partnership that places the natural beauty of our Region front and centre.”

“It is a source of great pride and satisfaction,” added Roberto Revelant, Mayor of Gemona del Friuli, “to see our area – developed over the years through commitment and planning – involved in and embraced by the Barcolana organisation.
We would like to thank President Mitja Gialuz, the FVG Region and Councillor Bini, and PromoTurismoFVG for this opportunity, which opens up new avenues of visibility for an extraordinary setting, increasingly supported by local businesses committed to a form of development that is sustainable and respectful of the area’s environmental specificities.
Alongside these economic efforts, we also see a network of local associations dedicated to promoting sport as a healthy lifestyle choice, underpinned by strong social and solidarity values.
Water, land and air are three fundamental elements of nature, especially appreciated by those who practise kayaking or sailing, cycle along our exceptional cycle routes, go trekking, or engage in gliding – activities that are attracting growing attention at national and international level.
Once again, our thanks go to Barcolana for shining a spotlight on this wonderful area and helping to further increase its visibility.”

Registrations for activities will open in September on the official website www.barcolana.it, where full information will be available. Enquiries can also be directed to the associations involved.