Thirty years ago Belluno bet on a simple and ambitious idea: telling the story of the mountains not only through great feats, but through people, books, images and places. In 2026 Oltre le Vette – Metafore, uomini, luoghi della montagna reaches its thirtieth edition and chooses an exceptional guide: Amelia B. Edwards, the English traveller who crossed the Dolomites in the summer of 1872 with a notebook and a box of watercolours. The main programme runs from 2 to 11 October, but the festival starts earlier, on Saturday 26 September.
Why the thirtieth edition is special
Oltre le Vette was born in 1997 from an idea of the then mayor Maurizio Fistarol, culture councillor Antonio Stragà and journalist Flavio Faoro. In its early years a mountaineering magazine gave it a description that has stuck: for a few weeks each year Belluno becomes Italy’s «capital of mountain culture». While many similar festivals have faded away, this one has come through economic crises, changes of administration and even the pandemic, reaching its thirtieth year with the same formula: talks, books, cinema, theatre, science and mountaineering.
The 2026 edition offers about 40 events and 6 exhibitions, in several venues in the city and beyond. It is promoted by the culture department of the City of Belluno with the Fondazione Teatri delle Dolomiti and curated by a scientific committee made up of Valeria Benni, Flavio Faoro, Francesco Vascellari and Diego Cason.
Amelia B. Edwards and the Dolomites of 1872
The title of this edition borrows that of the writer’s best-known book: Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys, published in London in 1873 and translated into Italian in 1985 by Nuovi Sentieri, Bepi Pellegrinon’s publishing house, as Cime inviolate e valli sconosciute. In the summer of 1872 Amelia Edwards travelled through the Dolomite valleys with her companion Lucy Renshaw, at a time when these mountains were almost unknown outside the communities that lived there.
She was not interested in postcards or famous destinations. She observed, took notes, painted. And she understood something we now take almost for granted: the beauty of the Dolomites is not just rock, but also mown meadows, tended woods, pastures and villages – a landscape shaped over centuries by the work of men and women. According to the organisers, it is precisely the gaze of nineteenth-century travellers that lies at the origin of the aesthetic idea that helped the Dolomites become a UNESCO World Heritage Site; fittingly, the edition is supported by the Dolomites UNESCO Foundation.
There is also a second thread, a botanical one: Edwards’ pages pay great attention to the flowers and plants of the Dolomites, and several events have been created with the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park. The third thread is the mountain told from a female perspective, running through talks, exhibitions and debates. The official image of the edition, by illustrator Marco Trevisan, portrays Amelia’s wonder at the sight of the Dolomites.
It all starts on 26 September
Anyone arriving in Belluno on the last weekend of September will already find two exhibitions opening ahead of the October programme.
- Saturday 26 September, 11 am – Palazzo Fulcis: opening of Buzzati pittore – I meccanismi della creazione, curated by Marco Perale for the 120th anniversary of Dino Buzzati’s birth. For the opening, booking is required and places are limited.
- Saturday 26 September, 5 pm – Palazzo Crepadona: opening of the exhibition on Amelia B. Edwards, preceded by a talk with Alan Boyle, Eleonora Pescosta and the American scholar Kathleen Sheppard.
- Sunday 27 September – Seravella Ethnographic Museum of the Dolomites (Cesiomaggiore): from 4 to 5.30 pm the workshop for primary-school children Parole di luce – Il segreto del Monte Palmar (8 euros, including museum entry and a snack); at 5.30 pm screenings and debate on Quello che resta – Riti della montagna friulana e bellunese. The museum is also described in our page on the Seravella Ethnographic Museum.
The official opening of the 30th edition is on Friday 2 October at 5.30 pm on the first floor of Palazzo Bembo, with the opening of the photography exhibition on Alta Via no. 1 and the award ceremony for the best shots.
The exhibitions
Untrodden peaks and unfrequented valleys – Palazzo Crepadona
This is the heart of the edition: for the first time the entire known body of Amelia B. Edwards’ Dolomite watercolours is brought together, from three collections (the Griffith Institute of the University of Oxford, the Peggy Joy Egyptology Library in Michigan and the Library of Somerville College, Oxford). Some of these paintings were the basis for the 27 engravings in the 1873 book; most of the works had never been shown to the public. The exhibition is curated by Alan Boyle and Eleonora Pescosta. From 26 September to 14 October; opening hours given by the organisers: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 am–6 pm, Wednesday 9 am–12.30 pm, closed on Mondays.
Buzzati pittore – I meccanismi della creazione – Palazzo Fulcis
A previously unseen group of drawings on tracing paper made by Dino Buzzati in the second half of the 1960s, offering a close look at how he worked as a painter. The exhibition is also part of the programme Dino Buzzati: sentirsi portato dal vento, dedicated to the writer’s 120th anniversary. Opening on Saturday 26 September at 11 am.
Alta Via no. 1, sixty years in photographs – Palazzo Bembo
The exhibition of the photography competition organised by CAI Belluno for the 60th anniversary of Alta Via no. 1, the high-level route that runs from Lake Braies all the way to Belluno. Opening on 2 October at 5.30 pm, open from 3 October to 1 November. Free admission.
Bisogna anche respirare – Palazzo Bembo
A solo show by Marco Trevisan, author of the image of the thirtieth edition: «small pauses in a world that keeps accelerating». Opening on Sunday 4 October at 10.30 am, on view until 1 November. Free admission.
Dolomiti Prealpi – La luce del silenzio – Limana
Photographs by Francesco Cerpelloni in the exhibition hall of Limana town hall. Opening on Thursday 1 October at 6 pm, until 11 October. Free admission.
Vedere Gellner – Borgo Piave
The architecture of the former Eni village in Borca di Cadore, at the foot of Cortina, told through illustrations by Francesco Nardi and photographs by Denise Rosato, in the «da Rosalina» space in Borgo Piave. Opening on Sunday 11 October at 4 pm, until 21 October. Free admission.
Five events not to miss
Culture and literature: Con penna e pennello
Saturday 3 October, 11 am – Palazzo Crepadona. Alan Boyle and Eleonora Pescosta present Con penna e pennello – Le Dolomiti illustrate da Amelia B. Edwards nel 1872 (Leannta, 2026), in the series «Parole di carta e di montagna» curated by Flavio Faoro. It is the book behind the exhibition: the best way to discover who Amelia was before seeing her watercolours.
Nature and science: the Eastern Alps Botanical Garden
Sunday 4 October, meeting point 9.30 am – car park of the Casera restaurant, Nevegal. A guided tour of the Giardino Botanico Alpi Orientali with the Carabinieri Biodiversity Unit of Belluno. An outing in the open air, on the hill overlooking the city, that takes the botanical thread of the edition out into the field.
Theatre: Val Visdende, ultima valle
Thursday 8 October, 9 pm – Teatro Dino Buzzati. The company I Comelianti brings to the stage Val Visdende, one of the most secluded valleys of Comelico: theatre made in the mountains and about the mountains.
Mountains and mountaineering: Tamara Lunger
Friday 9 October, 9 pm – Teatro Dino Buzzati. For «Un’ora con l’Altramontagna», the South Tyrolean mountaineer and explorer talks about Oltre l’alpinismo: what remains when we look at the mountain beyond the summit and performance.
Dolomites and territory: Nuove custodi del territorio
Saturday 10 October, 4 pm – Piazza dei Martiri. Sonia Anelli, Hannah Pomella, Martina Siorpaes and Cristina Da Rold discuss the future of the protected areas of the Dolomites World Heritage Site. An open-air talk in the city’s main square, on the theme that links Amelia Edwards to the present: who looks after the landscape.
Also worth noting: Trento Film Festival films at Teatro Dino Buzzati (Friday 2 and Wednesday 7 October at 9 pm) and the evening of Saturday 10 October at 9 pm with explorer and athlete Aaron Durogati, opened by the presentation of the Silla Ghedina Award.
Oltre le Vette for visitors to Belluno
The festival is also a great reason to discover the city: almost all events take place in the historic centre, between Palazzo Crepadona, Palazzo Fulcis, Palazzo Bembo, the Auditorium and Teatro Dino Buzzati, all within walking distance of each other. Between one talk and the next, it is worth stopping at the viewpoints over the Piave and the Schiara, as we describe in our guide to Belluno, the balcony city of the Dolomites, crossing Piazza Duomo and walking along Via Niccolò Crepadoni. Those staying a few days can go up to the Nevegal, explore the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park or walk a stretch of Alta Via no. 1 in its autumn colours.
Practical information
- Dates: main programme from 2 to 11 October 2026; first openings from 26 September; some exhibitions stay open until 1 November.
- Main venues: Palazzo Crepadona, Palazzo Fulcis (Civic Museum), Palazzo Bembo, Auditorium, Teatro Dino Buzzati and Piazza dei Martiri in Belluno; outside the city, the Seravella Ethnographic Museum (Cesiomaggiore), Limana town hall and the Nevegal.
- Admission: events are free, with the option of a voluntary donation to support the festival.
- Booking: recommended for all events via the Oltre le Vette Eventbrite page. It is required, with limited places, for the opening of the Buzzati pittore exhibition on 26 September. The children’s workshop in Seravella on 27 September costs 8 euros.
- Official programme: oltrelevette.it – 2026 edition, with the programme booklet in PDF (in Italian).
- Bookings: Eventbrite – Oltre le Vette.
- Official contacts: oltrelevette@comune.belluno.it – tel. +39 349 0075828.
Dates, times and venues are taken from the official announcements of the City of Belluno and Oltre le Vette as of 25 September 2026. Always check the official programme before setting out, as changes are possible.
Cover photo: Piazza Duomo in Belluno. Photo: Alviolosso — CC BY-SA 4.0 — via Wikimedia Commons.
