Matt Munro

Veneto Dolomites

The spiked peaks and emerald-green valleys of the Venetian Dolomites are encompassed within the 315-sq-km Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi, just north of the Piave river and the historic town of Belluno. Further north, fashionably turned-out Italian snow bunnies flock to Cortina d'Ampezzo for excellent skiing in the Cinque Torri and the Parco Naturale di Fanes-Sennes-Braies (the latter sits in the neighbouring region of Trentino-Alto Adige). In summer, there's excellent hiking and climbing here too.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Veneto Dolomites.

  • Christian Site

    Santuario dei Santi Vittore e Corona

    This 12th- to 15th-century Byzantine-Romanesque church, perched on Monte Miesna, is one of the most beautiful monuments in the Dolomites. Its interior is richly decorated with Giotto-style frescoes, which have been painted over one another with such exuberance as to pose a problem for restoration. Easily visible are depictions of the Adoration of Magi and the Assumption, with older frescoes, such as a 14th-century Last Supper, layered underneath. The oldest paintings are the Universal Judgement and the Baptism of Jesus on the counter facade, which date to the 10th to 11th centuries.

  • Museum

    Messner Mountain Museum

    Part of Reinhold Messner’s five-museum ode to the Dolomites, the so-called Museum in the Clouds on Monte Rite (2181m) offers a complete 360-degree panorama of the Dolomites from its crystal-shaped glass lantern. It is housed in the defensive fort of Monte Rite, which played a critical role in the Italian line of defence against the Austro-Hungarian advance in WWI, and later offered shelter to partisans during WWII.

  • Historic Site

    Museo all’Aperto delle 5 Torri

    Thanks to the heavenly views from the Cinque Torri, the area was a hotspot of fighting during WWI, when the Italian army established their artillery headquarters there. Now the ruins of their trenches, gun emplacements and officers' shacks can be visited via a series of trails that make for easy to moderate walks ranging from half an hour to two hours to complete the full circuit.

  • Museum

    Galleria d'Arte Moderna Carlo Rizzarda

    Feltre-born Carlo Rizzarda was a world-class blacksmith, who trained at Milan’s Fine Art Academy and under the guidance of legendary craftsman Alessandro Mazzucotelli. He bought Palazzo Villabruna in 1926 to house his growing collection of modern artworks, including pieces by Egon Schiele, Felice Casorati and Adolfo Wildt. On his premature death in 1931, his palace and collection were left to the city, creating this wonderful museum, which also houses some amazing examples of his ironwork.

  • National Park

    Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi

    Just over 17km northwest of Belluno, this magnificent national park offers trails for hikers of every level, wildflowers in spring and summer, and restorative gulps of crisp mountain air year-round. Between late June and early September, several spectacular Alte Vie delle Dolomiti (high-altitude Dolomites walking trails) traverse the park connected by rifugi (mountain huts). The excellent tourist office in Belluno and the main headquarters in Feltre can help with maps and routes.

  • Museum

    Museo Civico di Palazzo Fulcis

    Although Belluno’s Civic Museum has some 600 notable regional works of art, including some stunning canvases by local talent Sebastiano Ricci, the real star of the show is the beautiful Palazzo Fulcis that houses the collection. One of the best-preserved 18th-century palaces in the Veneto, its interior is extravagantly embellished with frescoes and stuccowork, while underfoot terrazzo floors swirl with florid rococo motifs.

  • Museum

    Museo Civico

    Feltre’s civic museum thoughtfully tells the rich history of this charming town. The display starts with the coats of arms of Feltre’s most noble families in the entrance, then revisits the town’s deep Roman history on the ground floor before travelling through a series of reconstructed traditional rooms showing how wealthy Feltrini lived, and finishing with a good collection of Renaissance paintings on the 2nd floor.

  • Square

    Piazza dei Martiri

    Belluno's main pedestrian square is the Piazza dei Martiri (Martyrs' Sq), named after the four partisans hanged here in WWII. On the north side various bars, restaurants and shops seek shade under arcading; the rest of the square is pleasant parkland.

  • Cathedral

    Cattedrale di San Martino

    Belluno’s majestic cathedral with its elegant, onion-domed campanile (bell tower) designed by Filippo Juvarra was originally raised in 850 on top of an earlier paleo-Christian church. It has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1873 when the apse collapsed following an earthquake. The numerous stone coats of arms, tombstones and bas-reliefs on the unfinished exterior narrate the city’s history, while inside the enormous triple nave is graced by numerous side altars, hung with intense late-baroque religious artworks.