Sella di Camporosso, Mountain pass near Tarvisio, Italy
Sella di Camporosso is a mountain pass at 816 meters elevation located between the Carnic Alps and Julian Alps in northeastern Italy. It connects the Italian lowlands with the regions of Central Europe beyond.
The pass was crossed by the Roman road from Aquileia to Virunum, and the statio Bilachiniensis was probably located here. In 1879 the k.k. Staatsbahn Tarvis–Pontafel opened through the pass, linking the Rudolfsbahn with the Italian Pontebbana. The old railway was dismantled and its track is now the Via Stazione and the Alpe Adria cycle path.
The pass lies where three language groups meet: Italian, German and Slovene. The place names record this, from the Italian Sella di Camporosso and the German Saifnitzer Sattel to the Slovene Žabnice and the Friulian Siele di Cjamparòs. The Slovene-dialect name Jezera, "lake", survives for the marshy hollow between the Fella and Bartolo streams.
You can reach the pass via the A23 motorway and State Road 13, which connect Venice to Central Europe. The drive is possible, but the elevation and mountain weather should be considered when planning your route.
The pass forms a natural watershed dividing waters that flow toward the Adriatic Sea from those heading eastward toward the Black Sea. This geographic boundary makes it a rare spot where two major European river systems meet.
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