Interesting places in the Alta Badia
Visit Alta Badia and admire how attractions are so harmoniously connected to nature, to history and to tradition, here as in no other place in the world
Places of interest in Alta Badia are strictly bound to Ladin language and tradition.
Particularly worth watching are the processions, the parades where the traditional “Tracht” is shown off and the concert of the local choir during the village celebrations. These representations, rich with tradition, are usually organised along the whole year, for Alta Badia’s inhabitants wear always proudly their elaborated dresses.
Museums are interesting too: Ciastel de Tor, inside a castle, the Museum of Freedom in Lagazuoi, theatre during the First World War of the battles between the Italian and the Austro-Hungarian realms.
We do not have to forget the “Viles” settlements and the animal reserve “Paraciora”.
Santa Croce’s Sanctuary
Santa Croce’s Sanctuary is settled at the feet of the homonymous massif in Badia, at a high of 2.045 metres a.s.l. From La Val, the Stations of the Cross take directly to the church.
St. Barbara’s Chapel in La Val
Along a contemplation path divided in five stations with starting point in La Val, you can reach St. Barbara’s Chapel. Worth a look are the numerous frescoes.
St. Caterina of Alexandria’s Church in Corvara
This is the most antique church in the area and is built in a gothic style. St. Caterina is represented in many frescoes above the central altar.
The birthplace house of St. Joseph Freinademetz in Badia
St. Joseph Freinademetz was born in 1852. His birthplace is a simple rural building with stony foundation. After his consecration in 1875, he went to Hong Kong, where he worked in the diocese. He was a missionary and a preacher. Johannes Paul II hallowed Joseph Freinademetz in 2003.
The Paraciora reserve
It is a 7 hectares area where you can see red deer and roes. The circumference measures about 2 km and it starts from the Paraciora Hut in Sompunt, next to Badia.
The Ladin farms or “Viles”
These are part of the most antique settlements in Alta Badia and are made of three elements: the living rooms, the stable and the barn. These traditional farms are scattered along the whole Badia Valley and everywhere well conserved.
Museum Ladin Ursus Ladinicus
The museum is in San Cassiano and it is definitely worth a visit. The representation on the Dolomites evolution through its fossils exposition has a value of its own and there is a part of the museum completely dedicated to the prehistoric cave bear, with the skeleton of the bear itself.
The Museum of Freedom in Lagazuoi
At the feet of the Lagazuoi there is the Falzarego Pass, 12 km far from San Cassiano. Through tunnels and galleries, different narrow streets, some easy and others harder lead to the panoramic viewpoint. Many paths cut the museum’s territory. The Lagazuoi was theatre of the First World War.
Ladin Museum Ciastel de Tor in St. Martin in Badia
From La Villa and from Badia, the Ciastel de Tor museum is only 12-15 km far. As the Ladin word already anticipates, the museum is settled in a castle. Here they provide important information about the Ladin history and language, about archaeology and geology and of course, the essential branches of tourism and handicraft.