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.

979m

Elevation

84 km / 52 mi

Nearest hub (Bolzano)

1,100

Population

Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best time to visit

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.

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Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

  • 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.

When to visit

Best months · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

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

December through March is the working season: Ski Civetta opens, the lake freezes, and Alleghe runs at full capacity. January and February are the busiest months; the New Year week is when prices peak. June through September is the second season, walking on the Alta Via 1, swimming in the lake when air temperatures allow it, and refuge dinners on Coldai or Tissi. April, May, October and November are quiet. The lifts close, many hotels close, and the town belongs to its 1,100 residents. Snow can fall into May at altitude. The Civetta wall looks largest in October, when the larches turn gold against the gray rock.

How to get there

From Bolzano, Alleghe is roughly 84 km by road. Allow about 72–101 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).

Drive time to the nearest gateway airports

  • Venice2h 6m
  • Verona3h 13m
  • Bologna3h 33m

Elevation 979 m

Google MapsApple MapsDirections from Bolzano

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