Castles, sanctuaries, and venetian villas

 

 

Suggestions for the more curious guests, for those who would like to learn more about the history of a land inhabited since before the romans

 

S.S. Vittore Corona Sanctuary

The St. Vittore and Corona Sanctuary was built in 1096 in a dominant and strategic position: along the slopes of the Miesna hill, at the entrance of the narrow valley from which you can access Feltre above the village of Anzù. This is known as the “Closure of St. Vittore”.

 

You can reach the sanctuary by travelling through a steep hill that starts in Anzù and arrives in a clearing from which originates the majestic staircase built in the 1800s by Giuseppe Segusini. Alternatively, you can travel on foot along a scenic path.

 

Inside, the church presents a series of paintings realised from the start of thirteenth-century that represent saints, scenes from the sacred texts, and the life events of the saints Vittore and Corona. In the cloister, it is possible to retrace the history of the Sanctuary through the seventeenth-century paintings that adorn it.

 

The sanctuary is located in Anzù, a kilometre to the south of Feltre.

 

Pasole Villa

Pasole-Berton Villa was built in the middle of the seventeenth-century, probably on the ruins of defensive walls to the north of the city of Feltre, obtained by the Pasole family. The garden, with a view on Feltre’s valley, is characterised by well-defined geometric shapes that are delimited by the gravel paths. It is enriched by statues of classical inspiration and by a few stone benches. The villa is in Pedavena, 3 kilometers to the north of Feltre. 

 

Zumelle Castle

Zumelle Castle had probably already been fortified in the pre-roman age, and over the centuries it was a transit point between the Praderalago pass, the street junction towards Feltre’s Municipium, and the military roman road ‘Via Claudia Augusta Altinate’ that linked the venetian lagoon with the Danube. 

The Castle was a point of contention between the autocrats of Belluno, Feltre, Ceneda (Vittorio Veneto) and those of the high Treviso area. Consequently, it suffered numerous sieges and ravages.

 

In 1510, the imperial troops associated with the anti-venetian Cambrai League ransacked the castle and the valley of Belluno. Feltre, in particular, was completely destroyed by a terrible fire.

 

Bought in 1872 by the Mel County, the castle was home to the rich venetian family of the Grittis until the end of the nineteenth century, when Venice finally collapsed. Before then, it was maintained for three centuries by the Zorzi counts, lords of Mel.

 

Today the Castle appears as a structure with mighty crenellated walls overlooked by a tall tower; the manor is host to events, educational courses, and to the ‘Forgiveness Fair’ (“Fiera della Perdonanza”) that every year in July enables tourists to experience a slice of thirtheenth-century life.

 

Cart Boulevard

A centuries-old hornbeam boulevard connects Feltre with the Cart fraction, starting from Fusinato road. The path is particularly magnificent in the spring, summer and autumn, when the trees’ crowns form a natural ‘arcade’ on the road.