Cibiana di Cadore is a small village in the province of Belluno. Only 400 people live there, divided into the thee hamlets: Masarié, Cibiana di Sotto and Pianezze.
In confess I had never heard about Cibiana since I saw the sign along the street back home from Cortina d’Ampezzo: Cibiana paese dei murales (murals village). So I asked Matteo if we could make a detour. (This jaunt dates back to last Autumn, but so far I have given priority to other articles and other non-blog related works).
Arrived at the tiny parking lot past the church, all seemed normal. I saw just one mural and the village seemed a regular mountain village. Near the tiny parking lot there was a map of the murales.
So we started walking. We had not much time to see them all so we just took a tour of those nearest. But, if you’re interested, I think this can take a half day or more… also because streets are up and downhill.
Cibiana is little detached from the other Cadore villages. This detachment entailed isolation that led to the progressive abandonment of the village and its ancient activities: agriculture, sheep and cows farming, production of keys (with the iron of a local mine) and production of handmade baskets and slippers. Keys are still produced here, but nowadays there’s a modern factory. As for handmade goods, some ladies still know how to do it and there are some courses from time to time.
In the 80s the municipality decided to revitalize the village by calling artists from all over the world to paint the murals. Their main theme is the history and the ancient crafts of the village. If some local is reading, please let me know the meaning of the quote of the secnd mural below: “La gioia di chi riede viempe dute la ciases de sol”. I’m not sure: The joy of who laughs (or who returns?) fills the house of sun. Both meaningful.
Sadly, we did not eat there, but I heard great things about the restaurant Taulà dei Bos (Via Masariè, 51). If you copy and paste the name on Google, you will surely find more info about it.
Not far from here, you can also visit one of the six Messner Museums dedicated to the mountains. This one in particular has a lovely name. It is in fact called The Clouds Museum, il museo delle nuvole. Its purpose is to tell the story of alpinism and exploration of the Dolomites.
In conclusion, I would suggest a visit to shoot some photos and hike around and about this village if you’re in the area. It’s really peculiar.
