San Nicolò di Comelico is a popular holiday resort in the province of Belluno, located in a picturesque valley on the left side of Padola, on the border with Austria.
The area of Cadore was inhabited since Pre-historic times, evidenced by the presence of a necropolis and the discovery of several antique inscriptions. In the following centuries the town submitted the domain of several populations, such as: the Ligurians, the Illyrians, the Venetians, the Gauls and the Celts. Later colonized by the Romans, the town was linked to a road that connected Val Pusteria to Auronzo. After the fall of the Empire, the area submitted the invasion of Heruli, Ostrogoths, Franks, Byzantines and Lombards. An accurate study of the traces attest that the first permanent settlements in the Comelico area were built prior to year 1000. In the XIII century The inhabitants imposed to themselves a series of "Regole" (rules or regulation of the lands), which were recognized and legalized also by the Serenissima Republic of Venice, who acquired power over the territory in the XIV century. During this period of domain the whole region enjoyed a very prosperous period, thanks also to the extracting activities of the local quarries. After the fall of the Serenissima, the town was conquered by troops of Napoleon, who removed the common rules and institutions, and later, after a period of Austrian domain, the town was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
Attractions:
- the Parish Church of St. Nicholas, of medieval origins, was rebuilt in the late XV century. The building features a single nave plan with sandstone buttresses and single arched windows on the side walls, a gabled chancel and an apse decorated with a cycle of frescoes painted in 1492 by Gianfrancesco Tolmezzo and a valuable painting of Cesare Bagni. The building is flanked by a linear Bell Tower, which features a belfry interrupted by light windows and is topped with a spherical shaped dome;
- the Church of the Holy Trinity and Santa Giulia in Gera, inside which are preserved the relics of Santa Giuliana, buried here in 1845. It also houses several interesting artworks, including a valuable painting of the Lazzarini;
- the Church of San Daniele in the district of Costa, built in the second half of the XIX century, designed by the architect Palatini, preserves inside valuable paintings by the artists Soligo and Solero;
- the Church of the Sacred Heart in Campitello;
- the Chapel of the Lost at War in Tamai.