CittĂ di Feltre
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CHURCHES AND VILLAS
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ART, HISTORY, CULTURE
SPIRITUAL BEAUTY
Church in San Liberale, Viale di Cart
Feltre is a lovely artistic town lying at the foot of breathtaking mountains belonging to the UNESCO Dolomites (System 3 Pale di San Martino, San Lucano, Dolomiti Bellunesi and Vette Feltrine). The Dolomites have been designated a site of outstanding universal value due to their contribution to the development of geological science, their many different types of geodiversity, the role they have played in the evolution of life following devastating situations (extinction, volcanic eruptions) and the scenic, aesthetic and structural features of the landscape. Many famous geologists were born in Feltre; a large number of literary figures, inventors, scientists, doctors and artists were inspired by the beauty of these places. FELTRE, LYING BETWEEN THE DOLOMITES AND THE PLAIN
Photographs courtesy of: Tita Rossi - AgorĂ Libreria Editrice, Tiziana Casagrande, Gianantonio Cecchin
Compiled by the Feltre town council department of tourism
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CHURCHES AND VILLAS
SPIRITUAL BEAUTY
The beauty of Feltre and the elegant style of its “palazzi” can be found when you least expect it, as you walk through the countryside around the town. Here you can come across truly magnificent historical villas, the summer residences of the noble families of Feltre, which blend in effortlessly with the surrounding countryside. Close by, churches, capitals and aedicules are dotted along the roads, reminding us of the simple yet deep devotion of this mountain people. The most treasured churches in the Feltre area are San Benedetto in Celarda and San Marcello in Umin. In the town, on the other hand, the most important ones include the cathedral (Duomo), and the churches of San Giacomo and S. Maria degli Angeli. The ancient buildings are often located in beautiful settings, offering stunning views over the land, like the shrine Santuario dei Santi Vittore e Corona, built around 1100, sitting atop of rocky precipice on Mount Miesna.
Villa Guarnieri, Tomo
ENCHANTING RESIDENCES
Since ancient times, places of great beauty and dramatic impact have been chosen as religious sites. Visiting these places, steeped in history and embellished over the centuries, is a unique experience which conveys the truly poetic nature of this land, with the simple lines of the rural architecture and the sophisticated decorations of the exteriors and interiors of the churches, villas and their gardens. It almost comes naturally to stop and take a moment, in a religious or lay attitude, drinking in the sublime character of this land.
THINGS TO SEE
Follow the road at the foot of the mountains from Feltre to Villabruna and Cesio for about one and a half kilometres then turn right into Viale di Cart. This beautiful tree-lined road climbs gently, offering the perfect vantage point to admire many villas belonging to the nobility, such as Villa San Liberale.
Continuing along the road to Cart Alto, you can see more villas (Villa Marsiai, Villa Suni, Villa Berton, Villa Bianco). The road goes deeper and deeper into the countryside, with large estates approached by tree-lined roads. After a couple of kilometres, you reach Villabruna and the small country village of Grum, home to the charming Villa de Mezzan. About two kilometres from Feltre, as you climb towards Villaga, you come across Villa Guarnieri, located on a terrace of fluvioglacial origin, in a lovely position overlooking the town of Feltre. Its elegant gardens afford a stunning view of the charming old town of Feltre against the backdrop of the Dolomites, World Heritage Site. A little further on, in San Fermo, is the equally enchanting complex of Villa San Fermo.
Church of San Benedetto, Celarda
for info and visiting times of the places described: www.feltre.info/orari