The area
All routes allow you to discover a heritage of historic buildings,
churches or small parish churches, ancient villages and naturalistic views.
Points of interest are marked and highlighted on the maps that you will find
within each itinerary.
Val Lapisina
BORGO MAREN
TORRE SAN FLORIANO
SORGENTI DEL MESCHIO
CENTRALE DI NOVE
We have the opportunity to discover:
Borgo Maren, a jewel immersed in a bygone era. Surrounded by chestnut groves and small agricultural plots, it consists of a few houses, some of which are still inhabited, a small church dedicated to Saint Elizabeth, and the former barchessa (barn) of the former monastery of Saint Justina.
The Tower of San Floriano is a military construction on the southern shores of Lake Restello. Tradition dates it back to Roman times, but its current appearance is undoubtedly medieval. It is a watchtower that was used to guard the important road leading to Cadore, Tyrol and Germany; it is likely that it also served as a customs post.
Leaving the trail behind and crossing the nineteenth-century village of Savassa Alta, you can reach the springs of Meschio, an evocative and magical place with a deep, clear pool of intense blue water.
The Fadalto and Nove hydroelectric power stations. The history of this hydroelectric complex began in 1914, with the commissioning of the power station called ‘Nove 1914’. After the First World War, the power station remained in operation until the early 1920s. The next technological leap forward came in 1925, with the construction of the second power station, ‘Nove 1925’. The power station, built by SADE in 1924 to a design by Vincenzo Ferniani, consists of two buildings on the northern shore of Lake Restello: the machine room and the transformer and switch room (now disused, following the construction of a large outdoor electrical substation). The machine room is characterised by a classical façade punctuated by pilasters and arched windows. The transformer building, on the other hand, has clear floral and Art Nouveau references. Four horizontal units with auxiliary functions are installed in the machine room. The power station is fed by Lago Morto, into which the waters of the Fadalto power station are discharged. Outside, there is a scale model of the Vajont landslide.
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Da porta Cadore a Serravalle
CHIESA S. GIUSTINA
CHIESA S. GIOVANNI
VIA CAPRERA
VIA ROMA
CASTRUM
PORTA DELLA MUDA
We have the opportunity to discover:
The Church of Santa Giustina houses one of the finest examples of funerary sculpture in the Veneto region. The 14th-century mausoleum of Rizzardo VI Da Camino is an imposing sculptural work in polychrome marble, on which the ancient colours that once decorated it can still be glimpsed. four soldiers with swords and daggers hold up a sarcophagus decorated with sacred scenes, above the composed figure of Rizzardo with his sword at his side and, on the four sides, the figures of two bishops and his wife with their eldest daughter in prayer.
Porta Cadore and Via Caprera, once a trade route, form the ‘outskirts’ of Serravalle, the road to the mountains and the valley. Near a portico, a plaque marks the house where Alessandro Tandura (gold medal for military valour) lived. the first Italian paratrooper on a war mission, who on the night between 8 and 9 August 1918 parachuted from an aeroplane near Vittorio Veneto and sent a message by carrier pigeon to the Italian High Command, thus facilitating the victorious advance of our troops.
Also along Via Caprera, we come across the Church of San Giovanni, a 14th-century Romanesque building attached to the Carmelite convent, which still stands today with an ancient cloister. The interior is enriched with interesting works of art in fresco, on wood and on canvas from different periods, as the place was the burial site of the nobles of Serravalle for centuries.
The remains of the ancient walls that climb up the two slopes that ‘close’ Serravalle to the north, the Black Tower that dominated the Lapisina Valley from Monte Marcantone, and the Porta della Muda, which was the entrance to the walled city of Serravalle. Adjacent to the Porta della Muda gate are the Torrione tower and the entrance to the Castrum, which are the original remains of the ancient military settlement, complete with a drawbridge. Presumably of Roman origin, between the 11th and 14th centuries the castle became the sumptuous residence of the da Camino family. Now a private residence, it hosts cultural events in its vast park.
Via Roma is a steep cobbled street within the walls; the west side is largely occupied by the perimeter wall of the Castrum and its gate, and to the east by imposing, splendid noble palaces whose architecture bears witness to the long Venetian domination, their internal gardens climbing up the hill.
Vittorio 1918: scattered throughout the city, we can find illustrative panels in two languages that recount the events and places that saw the city play a leading role at the end of the Great War.
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Serravalle
SCALINATA S. augusta
SANTUARIO s. augusta
loggia di serravalle
mercatino antiquariato
meschio
via piai
We have the opportunity to discover:
The climb to the Sanctuary of Sant’Augusta begins with a monumental staircase; the ancient devotional path winds through the woods and is interspersed with chapels named after Roman basilicas, built as votive offerings in 1630 at the end of a plague epidemic. Along the way, a stone marks the place where the most important of Santa Augusta’s miracles took place, ‘the loaves became flowers’ and ends with an imposing staircase: 100 steps that impose a penance to reach the sanctuary of Santa Augusta, the patron saint of Serravalle. The sanctuary was built in 1450 on a fortification of the complex Serravalle system, where the saint’s remains were found. Inside, the Chapel of Saint Augusta Virgin and Martyr, where the saint’s relics are venerated, is the oldest part of the sanctuary and is covered with valuable 15th-century frescoes. Tradition has it that to relieve painful migraines, one need only place one’s head in the gate that marks the place where a stone urn concealed the saint’s bones. Numerous votive offerings in the church and sacristy bear witness to the devotion to the saint that has always been alive here. Just above the sanctuary, the ruins of the Turris Nigra offer a sweeping view of the Vittoria area and the valley.
Piazza Marcantonio Flaminio is Serravalle’s living room, the community’s meeting place, overlooked by the buildings of political, civil and religious power: the ancient municipal loggia, richly decorated with frescoes, now houses the Cenedese Museum, flanked by an ancient bell tower with two clocks, one of which, the oldest, is a 24-hour clock, then the ancient pawnshop and, just below the hill of Sant’Augusta, the Cathedral, which houses many masterpieces, including Titian’s altarpiece. Every first Sunday of the month, the historic centre of Serravalle hosts an antiques and hobby market.
The picturesque walk along the ‘meschet’ runs alongside the artificial canalisation of the Meschio in the historic centre, built by hydraulic engineers at the end of the 16th century to solve the problem of possible flooding of the river. Next to the Clock Tower and the Cappella dei Battuti, Via Piai (believed to be the ancient Jewish Ghetto) and the Segreto Park, two hidden gems in the historic centre of Serravalle, climb up towards Mount Baldo. Sant’Augusta is solemnly celebrated on 22 August, and at midnight on the eve of the feast day, a grand fireworks display symbolises the vast popular devotion.
Via Martiri is a lively shopping street lined with arcades, shops and taverns. It is a wonderful place to stroll, admiring the façades of the ancient buildings, among which Palazzo Minucci De Carlo stands out for its size.
Pieve di Bigonzo e Costa
pieve s. andrea
madonna della salute
madonna della tosse
osservatorio astronomico
antica teleferica
cave piera dolza
The parish church of Sant’Andrea, first mentioned in 1224, was rebuilt in Romanesque style to replace an older church, of which the sacristy doors, bell tower and baptismal font remain inside. It was reconsecrated on 7 July 1303 and again in 1486. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the rich interior decorations were completed, with the collaboration of local artists such as Antonio Zago, Iseppo da Cividale and Francesco da Milano.
The first records of the current Madonna della Salute sanctuary date back to Gabriele Da Camino’s will, dated February 1224, when it was called Altariol di San Colombano. In 1630, it became the Sanctuary of Health, as a vow following the terrible wave of plague. Piera dolza stone was used extensively in the construction of the sanctuary.
The small church commonly known as Madonna della Tosse (because mothers and grandmothers used to bring their children there to receive protection against the ‘pagan cough’) is actually dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and stands near the Rindola stream on the ruins of an 18th-century chapel. Mass is celebrated on the first Sunday in August, as per a centuries-old tradition.
The Piera Dolza quarries are a series of striking artificial cavities created by the extraction of sandstone, known in the local dialect as piera dolza (soft stone), which was used to make the doorposts and lintels found in the historic houses of Vittorio Veneto and the surrounding area. Similar to the nearby “Grotte del Caglieron” caves, they share the same unique extraction method, which involved the creation of sloping columns to support the vault, which would otherwise have collapsed.
The Vittorio Veneto Public Astronomical Observatory was founded in 1986 for both observational and educational purposes. It is open to the public every Friday evening (weather permitting), normally from 8.30 p.m., and visitors can observe the main objects in the sky through telescopes, accompanied and guided by the staff on duty.
Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, the production of hydraulic rams was a landmark in the industrialisation process of the Vittoriese area, employing hundreds of workers. Evidence of this activity remains in the form of the pillars of the old cableway that carried material from the quarries on the hill to the old factory located near the hill of Sant’Augusta, in the Serravalle strait, while further south, near the old parish church of Sant’Andrea, we can still see the imposing disused factory.
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Ceneda: la piazza
piazza giovanni paolo i
cripta s. tiziano
museo della battaglia
museo scienze naturali
Piazza Giovanni Paolo I is dedicated to Pope Luciani, who was bishop of the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto for 11 years. It features a splendid 16th-century fountain surrounded by buildings that symbolise the neighbourhood:
The cathedral dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed into Heaven, with its underground crypt where the remains of St. Titian, patron saint of Vittorio Veneto, are preserved, is the most important place of worship in the diocese of Vittorio Veneto (which includes 162 parishes distributed across municipalities and hamlets belonging to the provinces of Treviso, Belluno, Pordenone and Venice). The current building dates back to the 18th century and is in neoclassical style. It was probably built on a place of worship that already existed before the arrival of St. Titian’s body in Ceneda (7th-8th century), an event that led to the transfer of the diocese from Oderzo and the construction of the cathedral. In addition to the wealth of works of art and sacred furnishings that decorate it, it also houses the Cathedral Museum. (open every Sunday from 3pm to 6pm)
La Loggia, originally the municipal building of Ceneda. Built in the 16th century, it is frescoed on the outside with three large scenes of ‘Judgements’ (of Trajan, Daniel and Solomon). Since 1938, it has housed the Battle Museum.
The seminary, where visitors can explore not only the seminary’s extensive library but also the Natural Science Museum and the Albino Luciani Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.
Ceneda, le colline
parco papadopoli
tempio s. rocco
san paolo al monte
castello s. martino
caregon del diol
monte altare
From the cathedral square, just beyond the fountain, lies Papadopoli Park with its beautifully designed ancient paths winding through centuries-old trees and flowering hedges. Together with the civic library housed in the villa’s former guest quarters, it offers a relaxing natural environment in the heart of the city.
Located on the edge of Papadopoli Park, the temple of San Rocco dominates the square with its striking dome and statues placed above the wall that flanks it on both sides. Built around the second half of the 15th century on the ruins of the “Castrum Sancti Helisei”, destroyed by the Hungarians in 1411, it was rebuilt in the mid-19th century.
The church of San Paolo al Monte was built on the site of the ancient fortress of Ceneda, of which the only remains are the gate of San Zuane, which leads to the path on the north side of the hill. On the side of the square, there is a Via Crucis dating back to 1730, consisting of 14 chapels. Following the earthquake of 18 October 1936, in 1939 the small church was proclaimed a votive temple for protection against earthquakes. Since 1730, numerous hermits have succeeded one another in caring for the oratory, which after the earthquake was rebuilt with its current appearance of a small medieval castle, until the end of the last century.
In ancient times, Monte Antares was the site of a Paleovenetian sanctuary, whose presence has been confirmed by archaeological finds dating back to the 1980s (statues and gold plates dating from between the 6th and 4th centuries BC). From 1485 onwards, the name Monte Altare became established, which is how we know it today, and in 1953, a luminous cross was erected at the top, 450 metres above sea level, overlooking the town centre in memory of all those who fell in the two world wars.
Commonly referred to as ‘i Palasi’ or ‘Caregon del diol’, these ruins attest to the existence of an ancient medieval fortification that in 1179 hosted Emperor Frederick, who was prevented for political reasons from residing in the nearby castle.
The complex of San Martino Castle dates back to the Lombard era, but the existing structures are more recent. A series of architectural elements and interventions have been carried out over the centuries, the most important of which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. The castle has been a bishop’s residence since the end of the 10th century, when the bishop also held the title of Count, a title that was only removed in 1768. The castle, in its ancient military structure, was the focal point of a system of lookouts that had vantage points on the hilltops: today these sites have become places of worship: San Paolo al Monte, San Rocco, the church of Formeniga, Costa, Castello Roganzuolo, etc.