The town of Cesana, in Lentiai in Borgo Valbelluna, was once a county complete with castle, “palazzo pretorio” and village. Originally owned by a local noble family, known as "Da Cesana,” Frederick Barbarossa later donated it to the Bishop of Feltre in 1159.
A tour of Palazzo Pretorio, seat of the vicar who managed the territory on behalf of the count and later turned into a farmhouse, will take you back in time to the splendour of that era.
Outside you can admire the stucco cornices and friezes, while inside, on the second floor, you will discover a small and surprising room. It is the vicar’s cabinet that still has the original carved and painted ceiling and, on the walls, frescoes depicting gallant scenes with Venetian masks.
A balcony opens from the room where the vicar would look out to read proclamations to the people gathered in the square.
Curiosities
- Nearby, the little church of St. Bernard, the former noble chapel of the counts of Cesana, is also worth seeing.
- Cesana Castle was demolished in 1921. Probably built in the 11th or 12th century, it has been the scene, along with the Cesana feudal estate, of numerous battles.
