Introduction to Belluno, Italy

The northernmost of the major towns of the Veneto, BELLUNO was once a strategically important ally of Venice, and today is the capital of a province that extends mainly over the eastern Dolomites. Although the urban centres to the south are not far away, Belluno's focus of attention lies clearly to the north – the network of the Dolomiti-Bus company radiates out from here, trains run regularly up the Piave Valley to Calalzo, and the tourist handouts are geared mostly to hikers and skiers. Just one train a day runs from Venice to Belluno directly, but it's just as quick anyway to go from Venice to Conegliano and change there; from Padua there are twelve trains daily.

Its position is Belluno's main attraction, but the old centre calls for an hour or two's exploration if you're passing through. The hub of the modern town, and where you'll find its most popular bars and cafés, is the wide Piazza dei Martiri, off the south side of which a road leads to the Piazza del Duomo, the kernel of the old town. The sixteenth-century Duomo, an amalgam of the Gothic and classical, and built in the pale yellow stone that is a feature of the buildings in Belluno, was designed by Tullio Lombardo; it has had to be reconstructed twice after earthquake damage, in 1873 and 1936. There are a couple of good paintings inside: one by Andrea Schiavone (first altar on right) and one by Jacopo Bassano (third altar on right). The stately campanile, designed in 1743 by Filippo Juvarra, offers one of the great views of the Veneto.

Occupying one complete side of the Piazza del Duomo is the residence of the Venetian administrators of the town, the Palazzo dei Rettori, a frilly late-fifteenth-century building dolled up with Baroque trimmings. A relic of more independent times stands on the right – the twelfth-century Torre Civica, all that's left of the medieval castle. Continuing round the piazza, in Via Duomo, along the side of the town hall, you'll find the Museo Civico (Mon & Sat 10am–noon, Tues–Fri 10am–noon & 3–6pm; €2.13): the collection is strong on the work of Belluno's three best-known artists – the painters Sebastiano and Marco Ricci and the sculptor-woodcarver Andrea Brustolon – all of whom were born here between 1659 and 1673.

Via Duomo ends at the Piazza del Mercato, a tiny square hemmed in by porticoed Renaissance buildings. The principal street of the old town, Via Mezzaterra, goes down to the medieval Porta Rugo (veer left along the cobbled road about 50m from the end), from where the view up into the mountains will provide some compensation if you haven't managed to find the campanile open.

Information by Rough Guides

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