Caorera

Caorera is a small village in the province of Belluno, standing on the left bank of the Piave river where it meets the Sonna. The village faces the Zovo mountain, part of the Cesen massif, and has a history tied to the river’s crossings. Once an important transit point, it had a ferry that operated until the 1960s, the last of its kind on the middle Piave. In 1963, the river flooded the village after the Vajont disaster, but damage was limited thanks to the intercession of the Madonna del Piave. The parish church is dedicated to Saint Gotthard of Hildesheim and Saint Nicholas of Bari, protectors of ferrymen. Built in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th, it features a bronze relief by Franco Fiabane on its entrance. The village became an independent parish in 1950, overseeing the nearby hamlet of Scalon. Nearby, the Museo del Piave "Vincenzo Colognese" displays wartime relics from the First World War, including uniforms, weapons, and a replica of Francesco Baracca’s SPAD S.XIII. Every August, the Madonna del Piave is carried in procession to Marziai and back, a tradition that began in 1958. In autumn, the Sagra della Zucca celebrates the local Santa Belluno pumpkin, a traditional product promoted by the local consortium. The village’s quiet lanes and riverside setting offer a glimpse of rural life in the Dolomites.