Agordino, Ampezzo, and Cadore

<< Veneto

The mountainous northern part of the Province of Belluno is known for its beautiful natural environment, and includes the famous Dolomites. This mountain range is one of most visited in the Alps, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The western part of this area is centered around Agordo, and it is known as Agordino, while to the north is the Ampezzo Valley (Valle d’Ampezzo), with the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. The central and eastern portion is instead known as Cadore, another region noted for its beautiful mountains and traditional villages.

Agordo

Agordo is a beautiful small town located among the Alps in the Province of Belluno, and it is the main center of an area known as Agordino. In the past few centuries it has been the minerary and industrial heart of the region, but it is now also a tourist destination.

Villa Crotta-De Manzoni

Villa Crotta-De Manzoni is a decorated Renaissance patrician palace featuring gardens both on the front and the back of the building. Some parts of the complex host the Museum of Optics, with a collection of thousands of eyeglasses and other optical instruments.

Canale d’Agordo

Canale d’Agordo is a small mountain town among the Alps, part of the region known as Agordino. It is mostly famous for being the hometown of Pope John Paul I.

Museo Albino Luciani

Museo Albino Luciani is a museum dedicated to Pope John Paul I, who was born as Albino Luciani in Canale d’Agordo and was the head of the Catholic Church for just 33 days in 1978. The museum features a varied collection and it is visited by many devotees to the late Pope.

Alleghe

Alleghe is a small town on a lake among the Dolomites, close to Monte Civetta, one of most prominent mountains in the area. Thanks to its beautiful environment, it is a notable tourist destination.

Lago di Alleghe

The lake that touches Alleghe is a popular tourist attraction located in a beautiful environment among the tall mountains of the Dolomites, but it was formed with a very dramatic event. In 1771 a huge landslide detached from the nearby Monte Piz, burying various villages and blocking the flow of the Cordevole stream. The blocked water gradually submerged a few more hamlets, but the area eventually stabilized forming the current lake.

Marmolada

Marmolada is the tallest mountain in the Dolomites and the Eastern Alps and, for this reason, it is also known as “Queen of the Dolomites”, and is one of the main tourist attractions in the region. It stands at the border between Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, but it is more easily accessible with a cableway from the eastern side, in Veneto.

✪ Marmolada Terrace

The Marmolada Terrace (Terrazza Marmolada) is a panoramic terrace standing on Punta Rocca, the second highest peak of Marmolada, at an altitude of 3,265 meters. Easily reachable from Malga Ciapela with a cableway, this spectacular terrace stands on top of the Marmolada Glacier and offers a breathtaking views over the entire Eastern Alps.

Museo Marmolada Grande Guerra

Marmolada was right at the border between Italy and Austria during World War I, and it saw fierce fighting all the way to the top during that conflict. A military museum focused on the battles fought on Marmolada is now located in the cablecar station of Serauta, at an altitude of almost 3,000 meters, and it is the highest museum in Europe.

Selva di Cadore

Selva di Cadore is a small mountain village in the Alps, located between the regions of Agordino, Ampezzo, and Cadore in the Province of Belluno. It is a tourist destination thanks to its proximity to many of the most prominent mountains of the Dolomites.

Museo Vittorino Cazzetta

The Museo Vittorino Cazzetta is a museum focused on local paleontolgy and archaeology of Cadore and the Dolomites. It hosts a large fossil collection and the Mondeval Man, a Mesolithic burial with the skeleton of a prehistoric hunter found on the nearby Mondeval valley.

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo is a town located among the Dolomites and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Alps. It is noted for its gorgeous environment, proximity to many skiing trails, and luxury hotels, and it is often frequented by rich and famous people. A ski resort and a hub for winter sports, it hosted many sporting events, most notably the 1956 Winter Olympics, and will co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Basilica of Santi Filippo e Giacomo

The Basilica of Santi Filippo e Giacomo is the main church of Cortina d’Ampezzo, standing in the central square of the town. The Baroque basilica was built during the 18th century on the site of a previous church, and it features a tall bell tower.

Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum

The Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum (Museo d’Arte Moderna Mario Rimoldi) is a modern art gallery hosted in a historic building on the main square of Cortina d’Ampezzo. It features a collection of hundreds of paintings by some of the most famous Italian artists of the 20th century.

Paleontology Museum and Ethnographic Museum

A complex of two museums located just outside the city center of Cortina d’Ampezzo. One section is the Rinaldo Zardini Paleontology Museum (Museo Paleontologico Rinaldo Zardini), which hosts a collection of fossils from this area, while the second one is the Regole of Ampezzo Ethnographic Museum (Museo Etnografico Regole d’Ampezzo), an exhibition on local history and culture.

Pocol War Memorial

The Pocol War Memorial (Sacrario Militare di Pocol) is a monument and cemetery located on a hill in Pocol, just outside Cortina d’Ampezzo. It was built in the 1930s to host thousands of fallen soldiers who died in battle during World War I, when this area was on the frontline and saw some fierce fighting.

Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri (“Five Towers”) is an astounding group of five tall rock formations located among the Dolomites, a few kilometers west of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Due to its peculiar shape and beautiful environment, it’s a popular hiking destination.

Auronzo di Cadore

Auronzo di Cadore is a small mountain town located in a narrow valley among the Dolomites. While the village itself does not offer much, it is famous for hosting in its territory two of the most popular attractions in the entire region.

✪ Tre Cime di Lavaredo/Drei Zinnen

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo is a group of three prominent peaks in the Dolomites, and it’s one of the most famous and iconic sights in the Alps. It stands on the border between Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, a few kilometers from Auronzo di Cadore. The entire mountain range that surrounds the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is a popular tourist destination and offers some breathtaking views over a beautiful and lush environment.

✪ Lake Misurina

Located a few kilometers west of Auronzo di Cadore, Lake Misurina (Lago di Misurina) is an alpine lake and a popular tourist attraction. It is the largest lake in Cadore and it is noted for its clear air and water, and for offering amazing views of the Dolomites.

Pieve di Cadore

Despite being a small town, Pieve di Cadore has been for centuries the main center of Cadore, the mountainous northernmost part of the Province of Belluno. A popular tourist destination among the Dolomites, it is also noted for being the birthplace of painter Titian.

✪ Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità

Since the Middle Ages Pieve di Cadore has been the seat of the Magnifica Comunità di Cadore, the council gathering all the surrounding villages and that ruled over the region for centuries. The palace, which stands on Piazza Tiziano, was built in the 15th century and features a clock tower. Inside, it hosts a few artworks and the Museo Archeologico Cadorino, a rich collection of archaeological findings from all of Cadore.