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BELLUNO |
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The most northerly 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; L4000/¬2.07): 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 Ruga (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.
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