Monte San Simeone, or Mont Sant Simeon in Friulian, is the highest point (1505 m) of a double rock massif at the northernmost foothills of the Friulian plain near Gemona del Friuli. It rises an impressive 1300 m above the plain. This peripheral location means that the ascent offers beautiful views of the plain around Udine, as well as wonderful panoramas over the Tagliamento and the Julian Alps. The mountain massif is surrounded by the Tagliamento to the north and east, and to the west it drops steeply to Lago di Cavazzo. The two halves of the mountain massif are separated by a deep cut. The SP 36 runs over this from Bordano in the east to Interneppo in the west. At the highest point of this road - called Sella di Interneppo - an old, reasonably asphalted or concrete military road branches off to Monte San Simeone. However, it ends at an altitude of 1215 m near the small Chiesa San Simeone. Anyone who wants to go further up towards the summit will probably have to use a mountain bike. For fans of winding routes, this ascent is an absolute must, as there are 24 neatly stacked bends on the east side of the mountain. In some places there is so little space for the road in the steeply sloping walls that the bends had to be led through a total of nine short tunnels. In the area of the forepeak near the small chapel there are another three bends before the concrete track ends in a clearing. In total there are 27 bends to be negotiated. If you add the two bends on the SP 36 - regardless of whether you are coming from Bordano or Interneppo - there are 29 bends for an ascent of around 1000 m, a density that not even the Stelvio Pass can offer. The section of bends runs largely through sparse forest, so there is at least some shade even when the temperature is high.
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