The city between the Piave and the Belluno Dolomites
On a terrace above the confluence of the Piave and the Ardo rivers, surrounded by mountains, Belluno is a small, quiet and elegant capital, often bypassed by travellers heading for Cortina. For almost four centuries it belonged to the Republic of Venice, and its historic centre shows it, with Renaissance palaces, arcades, the Lion of St Mark and Venetian-style squares.
The heart of the city is Piazza dei Martiri, a long garden square with arcades and cafés, dedicated to four partisans hanged here in 1945, and Piazza del Duomo, with the sixteenth century cathedral, its baroque bell tower designed by Filippo Juvarra, the Palazzo dei Rettori, seat of the Venetian governors, and the Gothic Palazzo dei Vescovi. The Museo Civico, in Palazzo Fulcis, holds works by artists born in the area, such as the painters Sebastiano and Marco Ricci and the sculptor and woodcarver Andrea Brustolon, famous for his baroque furniture. From the city you can see the peaks of the Belluno Dolomites National Park, a wild and little-known park, and of Monte Schiara.
Tip: in spring and summer Belluno is a good base for hikes in the national park and to the nearby Valbelluna; in winter, the Nevegal ski resort is just a few kilometres away.
Where it is
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Where to stay near Belluno
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