Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Alleghe

Veneto · Belluno

Alleghe

A lakeside village at 979 meters under Monte Civetta, formed in 1771 when ten million cubic meters of rock crashed into the Cordevole.

Known for

  • THE 1771 SLIDE

    Ten million cubic meters of Monte Piz crashed into the Cordevole, buried three villages, killed forty-nine and formed the lake.

  • CIVETTA

    3,220-meter wall on the doorstep, one of the most photographed faces of the Dolomites and a major Alta Via 1 anchor.

  • ICE HOCKEY

    HC Alleghe played decades in Italy's top division on outdoor lake ice before the indoor PalaCivetta rink replaced it.

When to visit

Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

The festa: Biagio di Sebaste, 3 February

Why come

Alleghe sits at 979 meters in the Agordino, the deep Cordevole valley that cuts into the Dolomites south of Cortina. On 11 January 1771 part of Monte Piz collapsed and ten million cubic meters of rock dammed the river. The slide buried the villages of Riete, Fusine and Marin, killed forty-nine people, and created the lake the town now sits on.

Above the lake rises Monte Civetta, 3,220 meters, one of the great climbing walls of the Dolomites. The ski domain that bears the mountain's name opened to the public in the 1980s and connects Alleghe to Zoldo and Selva di Cadore across the Forcella Staulanza pass. Hockey is the other industry: HC Alleghe played top-level Italian league for decades on the lake itself before moving to an indoor rink. The frazione of Caprile, four kilometers up the valley, was the historic commercial center; Alleghe outgrew it after the lake formed.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Alleghe’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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Alleghe — photo 1
Alleghe — photo 2

What to see

  • Lago di Alleghe

    Landslide lake created in 1771, fed by the Cordevole, still partly filled in by debris and shorter today than its original four-kilometer extent.

  • Monte Civetta

    3,220-meter Dolomite wall above the lake, with the Tissi, Coldai and Vazzoler refuges along the Alta Via 1 trail.

  • Ski Civetta

    80 km of slopes linking Alleghe, Zoldo and Selva di Cadore via lifts over the Forcella Staulanza; part of the Dolomiti Superski circuit.

  • Caprile

    Frazione 4 km up the valley toward the Marmolada, the historic commercial seat of the Agordino with stone houses and a covered marketplace.

  • Chiesa di San Biagio

    Parish church on the lakefront, rebuilt in the seventeenth century after fires and rockfalls common in this valley.

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Plan your trip

Living here

  • Population 1,100
  • Off the beaten pathi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Venice, 2 h 6 min drive
  • Regional capital Venezia, 2 h 15 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 979 m
  • Population: 1,100
  • Surface area: 29.72 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by

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