Vallada Agordina
Discovering Vallada Agordina: a journey through history, art and culture
Vallada Agordina is one of the smallest municipalities in the province of Belluno, but it is rich in history, art and culture. Its town hall is located in the village of Sachet, but the village extends along the valley formed by the mountains Celentone and Celat, Col di Frena and Cime di Pezza. Here you can find ancient hamlets and villages with suggestive names, such as Celat, Andrich and Toffol, which develop from south to north. Piaz and Cogul are located a little further north, while Mas extends east towards Cencenighe Agordino.
In these villages, you can admire ancient rustic barns, which often hide religious-inspired mural paintings, made even more fascinating by the passage of time. Law 482/1999 has recognized the Agordino municipalities as an area of Ladino linguistic minority, as the Ladino language is still spoken in many parts of the valley.
History
According to legend, around 720 AD, a man named Celentone settled in the valley and converted the local inhabitants to Catholicism, escaping from the barbarians. The church of San Simon and Giuda Taddeo, which is surrounded by a dense forest of spruce, larch and beech trees, is the oldest in the area: there are records of this church since the 12th century, but it seems to have been built even in the 7th century. Its bell tower is a testimony to the history of the place, dating back to 1100.
Monuments and places of interest
The municipality of Vallada Agordina is rich in religious architecture, starting from the church of San Simon and Giuda Taddeo, which also houses the remains of the poet Valerio Da Pos. The parish church is instead the one of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located in the village of Sachet. Other noteworthy churches are San Rocco (Celat), San Giuseppe (Andrich), Madonna di Lourdes (Toffol), Santa Lucia (Cogul) and San Antonio Abate (Mas).
In many villages of the municipality, you can also admire numerous frescoes, recently restored, and various chapels, such as that of Giat, near the church of San Simon. Furthermore, the municipality hosts an interesting Museum of History and Art of the Biois Valley, which exhibits a collection of handmade tools and ancient equipment used by the inhabitants of Vallada and the surrounding areas in past centuries. Currently, the museum is closed but work is underway for a new set-up inside an old barn called “tabià dei monech”, being renovated in the village of Sachet, next to the parish church.
Society
The municipality of Vallada Agordina is attentive to its culture and the associations Union Ladign de la Val Biois and Grop Folk Val Biois work to keep the Ladino language and local traditions alive. Furthermore, the village enjoys Tyrolean influence since the valley served as a border with the county of Tyrol and was part of Austria in the past.
Curiosities
The village of Vallada Agordina is famous for producing clogs, which in Ladino language are called “dambre”. There is even a Valladese song that goes, "Chi da la Valada co le dambre coi rampogn" which means, "whoever comes from Vallada must buy clogs".
In short, Vallada Agordina is a small gem of the province of Belluno, where the atmosphere of the past is still felt, and one can admire art, culture and the beauty of nature.
