Longarone – History at Vajont and Nature in the National Park

Longarone between remembrance, craftsmanship, and woodland landscapes

Longarone can be explored through several clearly distinct themes: the history of Longarone and Vajont, the work of local stonemasons, and the forests and natural areas surrounding the Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi. This creates a multifaceted picture of the town, where historical remembrance, regional craft history, and the landscape exist side by side.

The History of Longarone and Vajont

The Museo Longarone Vajont – Attimi di Storia is located in the center of Longarone and is dedicated to the history of Longarone and Vajont. The exhibition presents this history chronologically through an extensive collection of historical images, artifacts, eyewitness accounts, and films. The tour comprises four sections: Longarone before October 9, 1963, the construction of the dam, the disaster, and reconstruction and remembrance. This thematic structure thus connects the period before October 9, 1963, with the developments that followed and highlights different chapters of the town’s history.

Memorial Sites and Architectural Testimonies

The Chiesa Monumentale di Longarone, also known as the Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata, is dedicated to the victims of Vajont and was built according to a design by Giovanni Michelucci. The Vajont Victims Memorial is located outside the church. The Museo Pietre Vive is also situated there. The Cimitero Monumentale delle Vittime del Vajont comprises 1,910 white marble steles, one for each victim of the disaster. Its entrance portal recalls the dam in its distinctive form.

The ground floor of this entrance portal houses a collection of artifacts and photographs commemorating life in Longarone before the disaster. On the upper floor, there is a terrace overlooking the monumental cemetery. The memorial sites therefore not only commemorate the victims but also preserve connections to life in Longarone before the disaster and to the design language of the dam.

Stonecraft and Local Working History

The Museo della Pietra e degli Scalpellini focuses on techniques for extracting, processing, and transforming stone. It is divided into five thematic sections and honors generations of local stonemasons with a collection of tools, photographs, and eyewitness accounts. The focus is therefore both on the specific stages of working with stone and on the people who shaped this craft over generations.

Forests and Trails Toward the Mountain Huts

The Foresta di Cajada is part of the Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi and comprises dense forests with silver firs, beech trees, larches, and mountain pines. The Val del Grisol provides another gateway to nature: it offers access to the Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi and leads toward the Pian de Fontana and Pramperet mountain huts. Alongside the museums and memorial sites, clearly named forest and valley areas are therefore also central to exploring Longarone.

If you would like to compare other places for your travel planning, you can also find Padola, Lorenzago Di Cadore, San Nicolò Di Comelico, Danta, Nevegal, San Vito Di Cadore, Cesiomaggiore and Triches here.

For the overarching travel overview: Belluno.