Men at high altitude
The history section leads visitors into a fascinating journey through millennia to discover how humans have lived and have exploited high-altitudes of the Dolomites. The central theme of this part is the history of sheep farming and transhumance, which characterized these territories from the earliest farming and herding communities to the present days.
The site of Mandriz represents an essential evidence of this historical continuity. This shelter located under a rock upstream from the village of Santa Fosca (1.750 m of altitude), was discovered by Vittorino Cazzetta in 1985 and provides evidence of seasonal use of the area by transhumant shepherds dating back to the late Neolithic period (IV-III millennium B.C.). The excavations have unearthed ceramics, flint tools and artifacts made of bones and horns, as well as animal remains that indicate a diet consisting of both domesticated animals and hunted wildlife.
The display cases show plenty of archaeological finds that prove this crucial transition from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle, showing how these ancient shepherds reached the high-altitude pastures during the summer, likely following the Cordevole and Val Fiorentina valleys.
The exhibition continues with the following periods, highlighting the continuity in the use of mountain areas: from the traces of Bronze Age herders found at Mondeval, to the extraordinary Paleovenetian stele of the Monte Pore discovered in 1866 and whose meaning is still a matter of debate among scholars, as it may represent a boundary marker between the Venetic and Rhaetian communities.
Particularly important is the documentation dating back to the Roman times, when this territory became part of the Empire’s administrative structure. The casts of the three rock inscriptions on Monte Civetta document the ancient border between the Roman municipalities of Bellunum (Belluno) and Iulium Carnicum (now Zuglio, in the province of Udine). On these boundary inscriptions, dating back to the 1st-2nd century AD, you can read “FIN(es) BEL(unatorum) IUL(iensium)” and attest the strategic importance of this Alpine area for the Roman administration.
Alongside the casts, the original Roman artifacts discovered in the Mondeval area are exposed, including coins and a fibula, which attest presence and activities during the Roman period in these high-altitude regions.
The section is also enriched by medieval artifacts such as ceramic fragments discovered in the Passo Giau area, evidence of the continuity in the use of these Alpine passes even during Middle Ages. At that time the routes connecting the valleys were were of fundamental importance for trade and cultural exchange.
The exhibition ends with medieval parchments that reveal a complex system of collective management of pastures and lands, illustrating how pastoral traditions have been passed down through centuries to the modern “Regole cadorine”.
The final exhibition hall offers an overview of the historical, architectural and social characteristics of the Val Fiorentina and the surrounding areas, providing visitors a comprehensive picture that allows them to fully understand and appreciate this extraordinary cultural heritage which remains still alive today.
