San Pietro di Cadore: Church, Wooden Architecture and Val Visdende

San Pietro di Cadore combines historic architecture with trails into Val Visdende. The town forms the gateway to Val Visdende and is connected with the source of the Piave. This creates two clearly distinct focal points for planning your trip: the church, villas and traditional wooden construction on the one hand, and hikes with varying walking times, elevation gains and difficulty levels on the other.

Church, Villas and Wooden Architecture

The Chiesa di San Pietro Apostolo is accessible. Its oldest parts, including the polygonal apse and the central nave, date from the 14th to the 15th century. The bell tower has a square floor plan and is topped by an onion dome. The religious building therefore combines several clearly identifiable architectural features with a long documented history.

In the centre of San Pietro di Cadore stands Palazzo Poli-De Pol, built by the Poli family in the mid-17th century. Costalta, a hamlet of San Pietro di Cadore, is characterised by houses built entirely of wood using the traditional log construction technique. CostaltArte is an event in Costalta aimed at promoting the area through wooden sculptures carved by Italian and international artists.

San Pietro di Cadore is home to Villa de Manzoni ai Patt, which bears the name Villa Poli. Villa Poli-De Pol-Sammartini in Mare is considered the northernmost Venetian villa. The Museo etnografico casa Angiul Sai offers another way to explore the town's history: it conveys stories, traditions and insights into everyday life in times gone by and displays a mountain house that is more than one hundred years old. Outside the summer months of July and August, the museum is accessible by prior arrangement.

Hikes for Different Levels of Difficulty

The easy trail on Sentiero 166 to Rifugio Forcella Zovo begins in Costalta. The route takes about one hour and includes around 250 metres of elevation gain. In Val Visdende, the hike to the sources of the Piave follows CAI trail 136 to Rifugio Sorgenti del Piave. It takes two hours, is moderately difficult and includes 500 metres of elevation gain.

For longer tours, the route from Val Visdende to San Pietro di Cadore is listed as taking about six hours. The Strada delle Malghe in Val Visdende is a difficult hike of around seven hours across seven mountain pastures, beginning at Pra Marino. The long routes to San Pietro di Cadore and along the Strada delle Malghe require more time than the shorter trails; the mountain-pasture hike also includes seven pastures and is classified as difficult.

Other Places for Orientation

Forno Di Zoldo, Lentiai, Trichiana, Pelos Di Cadore, San Nicolò Di Comelico, Triches, Pian del Cansiglio and San Vito Di Cadore

For the higher-level travel overview: Belluno.