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Pieve di Cadore - P.zza Municipio, 21
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Mountains so beautiful that they become paintings are the pride of Pieve di Cadore, a mountain town in the Veneto region that is unusually well known for its art. The town was the birthplace of Titian, one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance. Although his career as an artist took him elsewhere, Titian always carried with him the memory of the beauty of the mountains of his childhood.
Which mountains stole the heart of the renowned artist? Situated in the centre of the Cadore Valley, at the foot of the Antelao group, Pieve offers breathtaking views of the Marmorole and Sorapiss mountains. It has nothing to envy in terms of magnificent peaks compared to other holiday resorts in the Dolomites.
Nor in terms of services and accommodation. Pieve di Cadore is one of the main administrative, commercial and cultural centres in the area. Strolling through the centre, you can admire elegant squares and historic palazzi, stop for a coffee in a historic café, and browse through a museum dedicated to one of Cadore’s most flourishing industrial activities.
Of course, beyond art, economic activities, and services, it is always nature that wins in the mountains: nothing can equal the pleasure of a walk in the midst of greenery while admiring the Dolomites, or of playing sports in a snow-covered landscape.
Pieve di Cadore is a mountain town surprisingly rich in cultural and historical attractions, which add to the scenic beauty of the Dolomites. Here are the most interesting things to see.
The must-see attraction in the centre of Pieve di Cadore is Titian Vecellio’s birthplace, a typical Cadore house where the famous Renaissance painter was born, spent his childhood, and occasionally returned in adulthood.
Built in the 15th century, it is a stone house with an irregular floor plan, arranged on two floors connected externally by a wooden staircase. The interior is furnished in rustic style, has a coffered ceiling, a kitchen with a large hearth and some rooms completely panelled in Cirmolo wood; one of the rooms with wooden walls is precisely the one where the painter was born.
Although the house has undergone numerous modifications, it can still give an idea of the lifestyle of a typical wealthy Cadore family of the time.
It is currently used as a museum: the lower floor houses a collection of documents on Titian’s life and his drawings, and on the upper floor it is possible to see the rooms where he spent part of his life.
Apart from the house, Pieve has preserved very little of its illustrious citizen. The only works by Titian that can be admired in the town are a painting of the Madonna and Child with Saints: it has not been historically proven, but it seems that for the faces of the characters the painter was inspired by members of his family.
The main square in Pieve di Cadore could not but be dedicated to Titian, the classic town salon enclosed within the town’s most beautiful historical buildings. It is a meeting place and a place of passage, perfect for enjoying a coffee or an aperitif.
If you want to treat yourself as a gentleman, have your drink at the Gran Caffè Tiziano, a historic café opened in 1821 and not infrequently compared to other more famous venetian venues such as the Florian in Venice and the Pedrocchi in Padua.
The other museum not to be missed in Pieve di Cadore is the Museo dell’Occhiale (Eyewear Museum), dedicated not to art but to one of the area’s most important economic activities.
It is a modern and well-kept museum that traces the history of the production of glasses and other objects related to optics from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, with a special focus on the eyewear industry in Cadore.
The original nucleus of the museum is due to the collector Enrico De Lotto, the doctor who founded the School of Optics in Pieve di Cadore; this was later joined by the collection of Georges Bodart, a descendant of a family of Belgian opticians, and numerous other acquisitions.
On display at the museum are spectacles and lenses, spectacle-making instruments, cases, telescopes and binoculars from various eras.
The symbolic building in the centre of Pieve is the Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità di Cadore, a massive and elegant 15th-century building overlooking Piazza Tiziano. It is easily recognisable by its mighty crenellated tower with bell and monumental external staircase.
The palace is named after an ancient government institution that united the twenty-two municipalities of Cadore and distinguished itself for the protection and preservation of the territory and local culture.
The palace currently houses various public and private institutions, including the aforementioned Caffè Tiziano and the Archaeological Museum.
The MARC – Cadore Archaeological Museum is one of the most important local history museums in the Dolomites. Housed in the elegant Palazzo della Magnifica Comunità di Cadore, it exhibits pre-Roman and Roman artefacts found in the area after World War II.
The Fort of Mount Ricco is a military construction on top of an approximately 1,000-metre high hill that stands at the confluence of the Boite and Piave valleys.
The origin of the building is a 12th-century castle, enlarged over the centuries and then transformed into a military fort at the end of the 19th century. Heavily damaged during the Great War, it was totally abandoned during the Second World War.
In recent years it has been completely restored and opened to the public; it is used as a venue for exhibitions and events.
The Monte Ricco Fort is easily reached on foot from the centre of Pieve. It is a short walk, less than a kilometre, and with an elevation gain of only 100 metres. On the way, you cross a centuries-old beech forest, while from the top of the mountain you can admire a splendid panoramic view of the Cadore valleys.
There are numerous lakes in the Dolomites. The closest to Pieve, and one of the largest in the Cadore valley, is Lake Centro Cadore (often simply called Lake Cadore).
It is an artificial basin in Sottocastello, formed following the construction of the Pieve di Cadore dam in the 1950s. Surrounded by high mountains, the lake is immersed in the greenery of meadows and woods; its shores are at times flat and easily accessible, at others quite steep. From here, it is possible to set off on hikes to the local mountain huts.
As many as six municipalities are bathed by this lake, namely Pieve, Calalzo, Domegge, Lozzo, Vigo and Lorenzago. There is an equipped beach in the municipality of Pieve.
Also in Pieve di Cadore, as in all mountain resorts, tourists come mainly to do physical activities in the open air, from simple walks to demanding sports.
Here are the most popular activities to do in Pieve di Cadore.
Pieve di Cadore offers a wide variety of walks of all levels, from easy family walks to multi-day treks. We recommend three of them.
A walk not to be missed in Pieve di Cadore, recommended to all for the splendid landscapes that can be admired, is the one that from Roccolo Park7, in the heart of the town, enters a forest of firs and larches. In just 10 minutes you will reach a panoramic terrace overlooking Lake Cadore framed by the Marmarole, Tudaio and Montanel mountains.
Continuing further, you reach the Sant’Alipio Park, from where longer trails start around Monte Ricco or towards the hamlets of Tai and Valle. The first section is easy and suitable for everyone.
Do you prefer something more challenging? Pieve di Cadore is the arrival point of the Alta Via n.5, also known as the Alta Via di Tiziano: this is a hiking route of about 90 km to be covered in 6/7 stages that starts from Sesto in Pusterìa.
It is a demanding route in itself, with equipped sections; for those who want even more effort, it is possible to do some variants with via ferratas. Whether in the standard version or the version with variants, the Alta Via di Tiziano is only recommended for experienced hikers in good physical shape.
Another Alta Via that touches the municipality of Pieve di Cadore, this time at the start of the route, is Alta Via no. 4, dedicated to mountaineer Paul Grohmann. In this case, the arrival point is San Candido, the kilometres to be covered are about 85 and the stages 6; here too there are equipped stretches and variants with ferratas.
The closest ski resort to Pieve di Cadore is Auronzo-Misurina: you can enjoy yourself on 12 ski slopes of various levels for a total of over 20 km that can be reached by 5 ski lifts (3 chairlifts and 2 ski lifts); there is also a cross-country skiing track, a skating area and a dog sledding track.
The Auronzo-Misurano ski resort is part of ski area no. 1 of the Dolomiti Superski, the largest ski area in Italy.
An absolute must during a stay in Pieve di Cadore is to cycle the last section of the La Lunga Via delle Dolomiti (The Long Dolomite Road), which passes right through the town.
The cycle path was carved out of a former railway that was built during the First World War and abandoned in the 1960s.
The route starts in Dobbiaco and goes all the way to Cortina for a total of almost 50 km; the terrain is largely asphalted and there are no demanding gradients, so the Long Dolomite Road is an experience suitable for everyone.
For those who do not feel up to doing it all, or do not have enough time, a bus service with bike transport is in operation during the summer months.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
Pieve di Cadore is a well-known tourist resort, so the choice of accommodation is very good; however, it is advisable to book well in advance if travelling in high season because the hotels in Cadore, including Pieve, often sell out.
In terms of hotel, b&b and flat prices, Pieve di Cadore cannot be defined as a low-cost destination, but it is definitely far from the extreme luxury of chic resorts such as Cortina d’Ampezzo. If you start looking early, you will be able to choose between affordable solutions such as family-run hotels and guesthouses, and more charming ones such as 3-4-star hotels with swimming pool or sauna.
Bear in mind that the municipality of Pieve di Cadore includes the hamlets of Case sparse, Tai di Cadore, Maias, Nebbiù, Pozzale and Sottocastello. Sometimes hotels indicate as their location the name of the hamlet rather than that of the municipality.
Pieve di Cadore is a municipality in the province of Belluno, located at an altitude of 878 metres in the northern part of the Veneto region. It is about 40 km from the centre of Belluno, 30 km from Cortina and 20 km from Auronzo di Cadore.
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