Auronzo di Cadore
AURONZO DI CADORE
The town of Auronzo runs along the course of the Ansiei River, which springs from Lake Antorno, an alpine body of water at the foot of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The stream feeds the Lake Misurina and the Lake Santa Caterina and unites, therefore, the three main lakes of Auronzo in a single course. The town “rises,” then, from the water and among the Dolomites and stretches 8 kilometers in length in a succession of meadows and small chalets.
The heart of Auronzo features pale stone monuments contrasting with the greens of the lake, embraced by an easy loop trail. An expanse of trees, thick and wonderful, completes the picture visible from the center, in a continuous variation of hues through the four seasons.
The rooster, a symbol of the town and part of its history, stands out on the small church and municipal coat of arms, a reminder of a much more recent legend of Auronzo’s very ancient origins.
AURONZO DI CADORE
The history of Auronzo di Cadore is a mosaic that reveals itself little by little.
Runic and pagan civilizations, but also places of worship from Roman times later Christianized. Mining center in the heart of the Dolomites and tourist destination that is home to the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. Valley embracing three marvelous lakes of Misurina, Antorno and Santa Caterina, as well as the site of clashes during the Great War.
Cadore territory, a land of castles and borders, where the division of pastures with the neighbors of Dobbiaco is told by a legend. The legend of the rooster, symbol of Auronzo, which we are going to tell you about here. Auronzo di Cadore: a municipality out of the ordinary.
Auronzo di Cadore: the name alone encompasses a great history and many aspects yet to be discovered.
According to one hypothesis, Auronzo would derive from the Latin aurum, meaning gold, referring to the mines of the Ansiei Valley. However, since it is a town with pre-Roman origins, a different etymology is also proposed, from the name Eboruntii or Aboruntii, ancient inhabitants of Cadore. In turn, the word Cadore would have a Celtic root and derive from the union of catu, battle and brigum, fortress, identifying it as an area of castles.
The coat of arms of the municipality of Auronzo di Cadore consists of three fields, three sections with each having a relevant meaning.
Shaped like a shield and crowned, it features the Cadore coat of arms at the top with the two castles of Podestagno and Pieve joined by a chain, representing the union of the territory. Beyond it is a Scots pine, a symbol of loyalty, which until the 19th century was actually a linden tree, a sacred tree.
Immediately below on the left is the legendary Auronzo rooster, which, singing in advance because of the witty intervention of the Auronzo woman, allowed wider pastures than its neighbors in Toblach. At lower right are the two colors red and green, which the Venetian Republic assigned to Auronzo.
Some places have special symbols, and this is the case in Auronzo, which has the rooster, but not just any rooster.
What makes the difference is not the shape or color: just three small holes, not at all lethal. The story began in 1738, when Auronzans moved to Toblach in search of new pastures. Disputes ensued, leading to the need to establish clear boundaries in the Misurina and Maraia area. Two women, one from Auronzo and one from Dobbiaco, were commissioned to define them. Escorted by two guards from the other side, they were to set out on foot at cockcrow, and the territory was to be divided precisely where they met. The woman from Auronzo made the guards drink heavily and they dozed off while she knitted. Before dawn she pricked the rooster three times, thus anticipating the departure.
Thus it was that the woman arrived after the descent to Ponte della Marogna and Auronzo had the pastures of Misurina.
The little church of Madonna delle Grazie in Auronzo was built to impart peace after the many disputes over pastures in Misurina and Maraia.
The small temple was erected in 1743 to a design by Matteo Pamperch, an architect from Val Badia, after demolishing the shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Monte Ortone. The octagonal interior houses three paintings: on the altar a Madonna and Child with Saints dating back to the 18th century and, on the sides, a St. Anne and St. Philomena.
The iron rooster with the three holes was placed on top of the roof later, in October 1752.
AURONZO DI CADORE
Auronzo is proud municipality of Cadore, territory of the Catubrini, an area of castles.
The name is of Celtic origin and combines two words: catu, battle and brigum, fortress. Archaeology also leads us all the way to Auronzo’s pagan and Nordic roots, with excavations on Mount Calvary. A sacred place, then, for Romans and Christians as well.
Formerly part of the patriarchate of Aquileia, Auronzo is important from multiple points of view. It is relevant not only for the presence of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, famous among the World Heritage Dolomites, with their peculiar rock composition and geological formation. Auronzo plays a crucial role because of its unique and exceptional history. A history of great and dramatic events, such as those of World War I, but also of daily labors, related to the activity of the miners of Val D’Ansiei.
A history that makes Auronzo di Cadore one of the major centers of archaeology in northern Italy, whose mysteries have yet to be fully revealed.
Museum Palazzo Corte Metto: a stately palace, four floors of history.
Open from June to September, with continuous hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Palazzo Corte Metto Museum is located on Via Dante, right in the center of Auronzo. The Museum is a precious casket in the heart of Cadore, not only because of what it contains, but also because of the building’s own characteristics. It is, in fact, a typical Cadore mansion, spread over no less than four floors.
First set up in 1951, the Corte Metto Museum has gradually been enriched with sections and currently is each floor is accessible by elevator. The firts floor houses the nature collection, with some wildlife specimens and even a dinosaur reconstruction. The second collects and timely presents the excavations on Mount Calvario, the most important finds and some materials related to the Roman period. The third houses the national headquarters of the National Alpine Association and some World War I memorabilia and photographs. Finally, on the fourth and last floor is the section that recounts the mining activity of the Ansiei Valley mines.
The rooms also tell in temporal succession the events that led to the formation of the Dolomites.
It’s the 1990s: by chance on Mount Calvario, a hill behind Auronzo, a few sheets and two discs engraved with depictions are found. Immediately, no one suspected that such a discovery would turn a modest relief into one of the most important archaeological centers in northern Italy. The reasons? Many, but the main one is that the site testifies to and links historical phases ranging from the 1st century B.C. to the 5th century A.D.
There are finds there with runic writing, used by Scandinavian and Germanic peoples, but also a stepped structure, typical of sanctuaries in central Italy and comparable only to those located in the vicinity of the city of Rome. Therefore, Mount Calvary is believed to have undergone the transformation from a pagan temple to a Christian sanctuary and to have been a hub and link between different archaeological areas, in pre-Roman and Roman times.
