Cesiomaggiore: Culture, History and Hiking Destinations

For a trip to Cesiomaggiore, cultural history and outdoor activities offer distinct points of focus. The Museo Etnografico Dolomiti, the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore and Villa Tauro each tell a different part of the area’s history. Lago della Stua and the hike to I Piani Eterni lead to landscapes and opportunities to observe nature. Which of these aspects interests you most can shape the character of your stay.

Museum, Church and Villa Tauro

The Museo Etnografico Dolomiti is housed in a country villa dating from the 19th century, formerly owned by the Counts Avogadro degli Azzoni. Its collections cover traditional crafts, domestic activities, religious practices, clothing, migration and activities in the primary sector. They span the 18th to the 21st century. The museum thus encompasses both material culture and everyday life and inherited practices.

The museum’s sound archive offers another perspective. It contains thousands of recordings of fairy tales, legends, songs and oral accounts about wet nurses, migration, shepherds, mountain pastures, craft activities and food traditions. The material can be consulted on request. If you plan to include it in your stay, arrange your request before your visit.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore was founded in 1184 and rebuilt and enlarged between 1785 and 1791. The church preserves a baptismal font dated 1483 and later works of art. These dates point to several phases in its architectural and artistic history. Villa Tauro, known as “delle Centenère,” is one of the early examples of a Bellunese manor house from the 17th century.

Villa Tauro houses a milestone from the Via Claudia Augusta Altinate, discovered in 1786 in the parish church of Cesio. One of the two milestones from the Via Claudia Augusta that survive today can be seen in Cesiomaggiore. The Ciclovia Claudia Augusta is also a cycling route: it runs 655 kilometres from Altino in the Province of Venice to Donauwörth on the Danube in Germany.

Landscapes and Hiking Destinations

Villa Tauro’s history as a park also offers insight into landscape design. The park sloped down towards Valle del Caorame and was laid out in the second decade of the 19th century. Its features included avenues, groups of trees, a heart-shaped pond or lake, and an English oak wood. Only young examples of the oaks remain today.

Lago della Stua is an artificial lake with a circular path along its shore. It is also a starting point for high-altitude hikes to the Vette Feltrine and the Cimonega group in Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi. Both areas belong to Group 3 of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. Rare plants grow in the lake area, and, with a little luck, you may spot roe deer and mouflons.

A longer mountain hike leads to I Piani Eterni, an extensive karst plateau in the national park, with great natural diversity and opportunities to observe wildlife. The hike starts at the former Albergo Alpino Boz in Val Canzoi near Cesiomaggiore, at an altitude of 660 metres. It first leads to Lago della Stua, then continues on CAI Trail 802 via a forestry road that is initially steep and a woodland path. Check mountain conditions separately before setting out on this hike. The circular path along the lake shore and the route towards I Piani Eterni offer different ways to include landscapes and nature in your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Dosoledo, Masarè, Pascoli, Pieve D'alpago, San Nicolò Di Comelico, San Pietro di Cadore, Forno Di Zoldo, Castion

Return to the main travel overview: Belluno.