Tignes: Church, Art and Local History

Tignes combines ecclesiastical art, local memory and the history of community farming. In 1662, Tignes was one of the 19 villages or local districts of the former Comune d’Alpago.

The Parish Church of Tignes

The parish church of Tignes is dedicated to Saint Martin. The history of the first church in Tignes dates back to the early 1500s. After the previous building was destroyed by an earthquake, the church was rebuilt from 1609 onward. During the reconstruction, it was separated from the bell tower; the tower itself is a smaller copy of the bell tower of Pieve. The rebuilt church was also given a new orientation. An apse was added after the 1936 earthquake. Its architectural history thus combines earthquake damage, reconstruction and later additions with the sacred furnishings.

This apse still contains the only altar made of worked and painted stone. The church also houses a 17th-century altarpiece depicting the Madonna enthroned between Saint Martin and Saint Anthony the Great. The painting is unsigned and attributed to the Anonimo Veneto. The church also contains a painting of the Madonna surrounded by angels from the 17th or early 18th century; the artist is unknown.

Above the side door stands an equestrian statue of Saint Martin dating from 1800. In the niche opposite is a stone statue of Saint John Nepomuk.

Pieretto Bianco and the Memories of the Place

Ferdinando Bortoluzzi, Pieretto Bianco’s father, came from Tignes. During a short holiday in Tignes, Pieretto Bianco created frescoes in the salon and other rooms of the new house belonging to Celeste D’Alpaos. In summer 2025, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on Pieretto Bianco’s father’s house in Tignes. In Tignes, the artist’s connection extends from frescoes and a portrait to the plaque on his father’s house.

The village dairy is also connected with his work: Pieretto Bianco painted a cow on its façade; the fresco was still visible in the late 1970s. His first painting, “Vecchio suonatore,” was a portrait of Bortolo Schizzi playing the violin and was also connected with Tignes. At the dairy façade, painting and community milk processing thus come together.

Dairy History and Cycling Route

The Tignes social dairy was founded in 1884 and was among the first in the Belluno area. In 1932, the Tignes dairy had 70 members, around 85 cows and processed 1,600 hundredweight of milk.

Tignes’s main road is named after Pieretto Bianco. Tignes is connected to the Anello della Val Belluna loop route on the official Valbelluna cycling map. For travel planning, the loop route complements the cultural topics with a specific regional cycling connection.

More places for your travel planning: Longarone, Misurina, Pian del Cansiglio, Caviola, Danta, Salzen, Calalzo Di Cadore and San Pietro di Cadore.

To the higher-level travel overview: Belluno.