Rural architecture: paths through the landscapes and architecture of Valbelluna.
Rural architecture and the traditional agricultural landscape of Val Belluna exhibit unique features, still perceptible today in all their original beauty, if we know where to look for them and how to understand them.
They speak to us of constructions using local materials, of cultivations suited to the place, of social organization, of ancient and resilient knowledge; in short, they tell us about living in the mountains. The visitor who wants to understand how people have lived in these lands for centuries, to grasp the most authentic characteristics, to be moved by the spirit of places far from the more well-known circuits, will find along this itinerary the most symbolic and interesting towns.
Although some common traits prevail in the rural architecture of Val Belluna, it is also very interesting to highlight the differentiations and variations developed by the different local communities, due to altitude, available materials, predominant cultivations, local knowledge, etc.
In this journey to discover some rural architectures of Belluno and the surrounding landscape, with which they are in a relationship of close interdependence, we propose six towns chosen for their peculiar characteristics:
- Solivi di Fastro (Arsiè): the ‘Feltrine house’
- Val di Seren (Seren del Grappa): the fojaròi with green roofs
- Montagne (Cesiomaggiore): the mid-mountain settlement
- Meano (Santa Giustina): the common courtyards
- Col (Borgo Valbelluna): the linear settlement
- Frontin (Borgo Valbelluna): the ‘Belluno house’
The cycling-tourism route through the six towns can be traveled in a loop (about 120 km) or as stages of interest; secondary roads with little traffic and great scenic value have been selected, or bike paths where available. From a technical standpoint, there are no particular difficulties, despite some elevation changes that could not be absent, given that this is an itinerary in the landscape of the mid-mountain!
