Calalzo di Cadore: you don’t need the car to reach it!

Forget your car: you don’t need it if you are looking for a holiday in Calalzo di Cadore. Here you can travel by train, bus or bicycle. Calalzo is a railway junction connecting Venice to Cadore and the last station north from Belluno. You can reach it by train, take your bike from the cycle carriage and follow the “Lunga Via delle Dolomiti” cycle path taking you to Cortina and then Dobbiaco, or you can follow the many trails reaching lake Calalzo and its surroundings, a true oasis of peace.
The cycle path starts near the railway station and reaches Cortina d’Ampezzo after about 35 Km, with a breathtaking view of the Marmarole.  This path was created on the old Calalzo-Cortina railway line, built in 1915 to make transfers easier during the First World War, and then abandoned in the Sixties. The cycle path is mostly paved and closed to traffic, even if part of the track runs on the Alemagna road. It runs through many villages of Cadore, like Domegge, Borca and San Vito, and it is slightly steep, but everyone can ride on it, even children. A pleasant walk from Lagole, near the railway station, takes you to springs rich in sulphur, and thus having highly beneficial effects. Not far from there you find several pools, like the Laghetto delle Tose, where you can take a bath. If you want from here you can reach lake Calalzo and take one of the many trails running through the valleys, or take the Roman road called Giro delle Coste leading to the ancient hamlet of Rizzois. If you want to get into shape try the trim trail near San Giovanni.

Calalzo is also the ideal starting point for hikes to the inaccessible and wild Val d’Oten. Its name means “last”, signifying that no other place can be compared to it. Val d’Oten lies between the Marmarole and the Antelao, where you can admire the Pile waterfall. The hike is a bit difficult, since you have to go through a narrow canyon carved out of the rock, but you can also choose to follow the Molinà stream, where once many mills could be found.
If you prefer other sports you have at your disposal a football field, a bocce court and a tennis court. You can also practice sport fishing in the streams, in the Piave River and in the lake.

In winter from Calalzo you can reach, with public transport if you like, the ski areas of Auronzo-Misurina, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Sappada.
Calalzo and the other villages of Cadore are rich in history. Worth a visit are the parish church of St. Biagio with the paintings of Titian’s son Orazio Vecellio; St. Ann’s church with the beautiful paintings and reliquaries; “Il Ponte”, an impressive building , typical example of Cadore architecture; or the Caravaggio church, a favourite destination of the pilgrims devoted to Saint Mary.