The Gorgazzo Spring is characterised by a wonderful shimmering shade of turquoise which contrasts beautifully with the white rocks surrounding it. It is a site of great interest to nature lovers: the water of the source sinks through the cracks in the rocks of the Cansiglio Plateau, flows through long and curvy underground slot canyons - only partially known despite several underwater explorations - and finally emerges in Gorgazzo.
The spring of Gorgazzo has been explored by a number of scuba divers. Among them Luigi Casati is surely worth of note. Indeed in 2008 he established a new record reaching 212 metres below sea level.
Mountain rainfalls feed the Gorgazzo Spring, which in turn feeds the namesake river. The Gorgazzo River crosses the town, diverges into small waterfalls and flows into the Livenza River.
The source of the Gorgazzo River is called "el Buso", a dialectal term meaning "the hole". It is first mentioned as "Gorgatio" in a document dating back to the 13th century. But Gorgazzo is also the name of the hamlet that grew around the spring. This small village is characterised by buildings constructed according to the local traditional style and materials. The houses feature wooden structures and walls made of stone excavated from the Caneva quarry, finely shaped by local masons, here called "taiapietra" (stone cutters). This type of stone was used to build not only local homes, but also wonderful Venetian palaces.
"Take emeralds, turquoises and beryl gemstones, add them all to a sea of Lapis lazuli, mix them together and blend them, while still preserving their individual character. The result is the colour of that tiny slice of liquid sky that fell to earth in Gorgazzo!" This is the poetic description of the Gorgazzo Spring given by the great geographer Giovanni Marinelli in 1877.
