Sappada is a municipality in the province of Belluno, located on the border where the Veneto region meets with Austria and Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the eastern part of the Dolomites. The municipality is washed, at the foot of Mount Peralba, by the river Piave. The town is composed of fifteen villages which preserve intact old wooden houses with gable roofs, typical of the Dolomites. It is a popular tourist destination, throughout the year, for skiing and hiking lovers. From here depart several trails between the local environment with several shelters along the way.
The area is particularly rich in forests and fauna and was subjected to the Patriarchate of Aquileia. It is believed that the founders, supported by the particular local dialect, still spoken today, were of Austrian origins, who, in the XI century abandoned the valley to escape from the oppression and injustice of the local lords. In exchange for loyalty and an annual fee, the Patriarch gave them a new chance to settle in these places. The first inhabitants were engaged in the hard work of transformation from forest areas to cultivated lands with cereals and livestock. For a period the town belonged to the Cadore region while later, in the XIV century, it was incorporated into the territories of Carnia. The entire region prospered under the Venetian rule and this secured a period of development and tranquility to the center. This state of well-being ended with the advent of Napoleon and the subsequent domination of the Habsburgs. In the mid-XIX century, the town passed from the province of Udine to the one of Belluno.
Attractions:
- the Church of Santa Margherita, built in the second half of the XVIII century, it features a Baroque style and is enriched with precious frescoes by Barazza and a XIX century altarpiece depicted by Riessler;
- the Chapel of St. Anthony, built 1726 and features a charming construction with pitched roof and a polygonal apse;
- the Sanctuary of Regina Pacis, built in 1973 and designed by the architect Ria;
- the Calvary, composed of thirteen chapels and a church;
- the several chapels of the different villages;
- the Church of St Oswald which dates back to 1732;
- the Orrido dell'Acquatona, a deep gorge formed by the erosion of the stream;
- the fauna Park in Muhlbach;
- the House-Museum of rural culture;
- the Waterfalls in Muhlbach;
- the sources of the Piave;
- the Museum of the Great War;
- the Museum of Ethnography.