The first weekend of November moves at the slow pace of the autumn fairs. On Sunday Feltre fills with stalls for the Antica Fiera di San Matteo and, along the same Via Mezzaterra, with objects looking for a second life. In Cadore, Santo Stefano celebrates the Fiera dei Santi, now in its 767th edition. Around them is an indoor calendar, as suits the long evenings: Commedia dell’Arte at the Teatro de la Sena, Buzzati at the theatre that bears his name, a concert for children in Belluno, an evening in Mel about the snowfinch. And for those who want to be outdoors there are two easy walks, one through the colours of Prapavei and one beneath the Sperone, in Sospirolo, with an actress telling stories.
We checked every event against the organisers’ own sources on 3 November. In autumn times and programmes change easily: before you set off, check the event page and book where needed.
The weekend at a glance
- For families: «Ascolta che storia!» at the Belluno Auditorium, wooden games at the Feltre fair
- For walkers: Prapavei with the National Park guides, the storytelling walk beneath the Sperone
- For theatre lovers: «Casanova Grand Tour» in Feltre, Buzzati’s «Un amore» in Belluno
- For markets: the Antica Fiera di San Matteo and the Fiera dell’oggetto ritrovato in Feltre, the Fiera dei Santi in Santo Stefano di Cadore
- For nature: the snowfinch explained in Mel
- Last days: Arredamont in Longarone closes on Sunday 8
Friday 6 November
Feltre: Casanova opens the season
At 8 pm the Teatro de la Sena raises the curtain on the «La Sena Viva» season with «Casanova Grand Tour» by the Pantakin company: the myth of the Venetian retold with the masks, duels, songs and disguises of the Commedia dell’Arte. Tickets cost from 5 to 15 euros, on VivaTicket or at the box office.
Saturday 7 November
Feltre: farming that includes
At 10 am, in the Sala degli Stemmi, the talk «La terra che unisce» shows how social farming can become a way back into work and community. It is one of the events leading up to Sunday’s fair and ends with the «Custodi della Terra» award. Admission is free.
Sospirolo: a walk full of stories
In the afternoon the «Monti del Sole» Pro Loco offers a walk among the old farmsteads and stables beneath the Sperone, guided and brought to life by the actress Cristina Gianni with readings, memories and anecdotes of life with the animals. Meet at 2:30 pm in the village to drive up to Lovatei with fewer cars; the walk starts at 3 pm. It takes about two hours with little climbing; hiking boots are needed. It is free, but booking is appreciated.
Belluno: music and Buzzati
At 5 pm, in the municipal Auditorium on Piazza Duomo, the Circolo Culturale Bellunese presents «Ascolta che storia!», a concert for children and families: a narrator, a piano and a cello, with music by Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Kabalevsky and Vivaldi. In the evening, at 8:45 pm, the municipal theatre stages Dino Buzzati’s «Un amore», his most intimate novel, with Paolo Valerio and Rossana Valier. Admission is free, on the evening itself.
Mel: the snowfinch
At 8:30 pm, in the Auditorium of the former church of San Pietro, LIPU Belluno devotes an evening to the white-winged snowfinch, a flagship species of the Alps: a small high-altitude bird that says a lot about climate and tourism in the mountains. Free admission. Before the evening, until 7:30 pm, Palazzo delle Contesse shows the kinetic art exhibition «Percezione – Illusione – Struttura», open Friday to Sunday with free entry.
Cadore: the Fiera dei Santi
On Saturday and Sunday Santo Stefano di Cadore celebrates the Fiera dei Santi, now in its 767th edition: tradition, local produce and crafts. The municipality has not yet published times and a detailed programme, so check before you go.
Sunday 8 November
Feltre: two fairs in the same old town
From 8:30 am to 6 pm the Antica Fiera di San Matteo fills Via Mezzaterra, Piazza Maggiore and the surrounding streets with local produce, weaving workshops and wooden games. At 10 am the Banda Città di Feltre plays, followed by street shows and, at 4 pm, tales in Feltre dialect by the Filò dei Thavarèi. On the same day, from 9 am, the Fiera dell’oggetto ritrovato returns, the reuse market of second-hand goods and antiques. If you still have time, climb up to the Galleria Rizzarda for «L’architettura svelata», the exhibition on Giuseppe Segusini, open until 31 January.
Valbelluna: Prapavei with the Park guides
At 9 am, from the forecourt of Bribano railway station, the guides of the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park lead a free walk to Prapavei in autumn colours: an easy loop of about five kilometres through small woods and hamlets, suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs too. There are 25 places and booking is recommended.
Longarone: the last day of Arredamont
Sunday is the last day of Arredamont, the mountain home furnishing fair at Longarone Fiere: furniture, stoves, windows and materials for the alpine home, from 10 am to 7 pm.
Agordino: an evening of photographs
At 8:45 pm, in the Sala Emigranti in Canale d’Agordo, the photographer Bruno Bressan screens his pictures. The calendar gives no prices or booking details.
Two things before you go
- Guided walks have limited places and may change route in bad weather: book ahead and check the forecast the day before.
- In the high valleys November evenings are cold and mountain roads can freeze: dress accordingly.
