Longarone | |
---|---|
Comune di Longarone | |
Coordinates: 46°15′58″N12°18′08″E / 46.26611°N 12.30222°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Veneto |
Province | Belluno (BL) |
Frazioni | Dogna, Faè, Fortogna, Igne, Pirago-Muda Maè, Provagna, Rivalta, Roggia, Soffranco |
Government | |
• Mayor | Roberto Padrin |
Area | |
• Total | 103 km2 (40 sq mi) |
Elevation | 473 m (1,552 ft) |
Population (31 December 2008) [1] | |
• Total | 4,073 |
• Density | 40/km2 (100/sq mi) |
Demonym | Longaronesi |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 32013 |
Dialing code | 0437 |
ISTAT code | 025031 |
Patron saint | Santa Maria |
Saint day | 8 December |
Website | Official website |
Longarone is a town and comune on the banks of the Piave in the province of Belluno, in northeast Italy. It is situated 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Belluno.
4,642 people work all together in Longarone, which is 112.62% of the total population, with most actual inhabitants working within the village.
The town is located on a road linking Belluno to Cortina d'Ampezzo, close to the borders of Veneto with Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Its nearest villages are Castellavazzo, Casso and Erto.
There is evidence of Roman presence in the site of Longarone. In the regions of Fortogna and Pirago tombs have been discovered, and at Dogna, a burial site with coins, rings, bracelets, clay jars and a plaque dedicated to Asclepius, a Greco-Roman god (demigod) of medicine. Remains of a Roman road were also found.
But the early story of the city is not clear until the establishment of the municipality by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806.
In the Middle Ages and modern era, the city was subject to the social and political events taking place in Belluno, being dominated by several groups and families, such as the Vescovi, the Ezzelino Romano in 1250, the Scala family in 1300, the families of Carrara and Visconti and the Venetian State domination in 1420.
Longarone was the site of a battle in World War I, in which a few companies of German troops led by Erwin Rommel successfully captured an entire Italian division of over 10,000, retreating after the Battle of Kobarid (Caporetto). Rommel was awarded his Pour le Mérite medal for this achievement.
The village was destroyed in the Vajont Dam disaster on October 9, 1963, when a landslide from Monte Toc forced 270 million cubic metres (350×10 6 cu yd; 9,500×10 6 cu ft) of water over the top of the Vajont Dam. Longarone lay in the immediate path of the wave of mud and water which swept into the valley below. [2] 1,917 villagers were killed.
Most of the city was destroyed, except the northern part of the city, the Palazzo Mazzolà and the townhall. The 18th century Santa Maria Assunta church was razed. [3]
Longarone was rebuilt following the tragedy [2] and is now once again a thriving community. The fortieth anniversary of the disaster was marked, in October 2003, by a commemorative ceremony in Longarone attended by President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
From the 1960s to the 1990s, a eyewear district grew stronger in the Piave Valley (sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of optics) and Longarone became the headquarters of many eyewear manufacturers. [4] Safilo had moved its main eyewear production plant in Longarone in the 1970s [5] (until it was transferred to LVMH's Thélios in September 2023). [6] Marcolin also moved its headquarters to Longarone in the 1970s [7] (and opened a second production site in Longarone in 2015 [8] ). Thélios opened its own eyewear manufacturing plant in Longarone in 2018. [9]
The city's contemporary church, completed in 1975, was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Michelucci. It was built on the exact same location where the Santa Maria Assunta church was standing up until the dam disaster razed it to the ground in 1963. [3]
Fendi is an Italian luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. Since 2001, Fendi has been part of the “Fashion & Leather Goods” division of the French group LVMH. Its headquarters are in Rome, in the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.
The Vajont Dam or Vaiont Dam is a disused dam in northern Italy. It is one of the tallest dams in the world, with a height of 262 m (860 ft). It is in the valley of the Vajont (river) under Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, 100 km (62 mi) north of Venice.
The province of Belluno is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.
Belluno is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. With its roughly 36,000 inhabitants, it is the largest populated area of Valbelluna. It is one of the 15 municipalities of the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park.
The Val di Stava Dam collapse occurred on 19 July 1985, when two tailings dams above the village of Stava, near Tesero, Italy, failed. It resulted in one of Italy's worst disasters, killing 268 people, destroying 63 buildings and demolishing eight bridges.
Montebelluna is a city and comune in Veneto, Italy, approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of Venice. It has an estimated population of 32,000.
Domegge di Cadore is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Venice and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Belluno.
Erto e Casso is a comune (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Pordenone in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of Trieste and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Pordenone.
Eyewear is a term used to refer to all devices worn over both of a person's eyes, or occasionally a single eye, for one or more of a variety of purposes. Though historically used for vision improvement and correction, eyewear has also evolved into eye protection, for fashion and aesthetic purposes, and starting in the late 20th century, computers and virtual reality.
The 7th Alpini Regiment is a regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II.
The 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment is an inactive mountain artillery regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Bassano del Grappa in Veneto. The regiment was formed in 1941 by the Royal Italian Army with batteries that had served in World War I and been disbanded after the war. During World War II the regiment served in 1942 as occupation force in Montenegro and in 1943 in Liguria as coastal defence unit. After the announcement of the Armistice of Cassibile on 8 September 1943 the regiment was disbanded two days later by invading German forces.
Casso is an Italian village, frazione of Erto e Casso, in the Province of Pordenone. Its population is 35. Together with Erto, its administrative seat, it forms the municipality of Erto-Casso.
Polaroid Eyewear manufactures polarized sunglasses and polarized lenses, as well as optical frames, reading glasses, and clip-on lenses.
Lago di Pontesei is a lake in the Province of Belluno, Veneto, Italy.
Safilo Group S.p.A. is an Italian company that designs, produces, and distributes prescription frames, sunglasses, sports eyewear, ski goggles and helmets, and cycling helmets under its own five house brands and 32 licensed brands, including Smith Optics since 1996.
The Maè is the main watercourse along the val di Zoldo, in Belluno, Italian Eastern Alps. It is a right tributary of the Piave. The valley is also called the Valle del Maè along Soffranco and Longarone. The Mae Valley near Forno di Zoldo is the site of the Piave–Boite–Vaiont hydroelectric system.
The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park is a national park in the province of Belluno, Veneto, in the northern Italy.
Carlo Semenza was an Italian hydraulic engineer and mountaineer, considered one of the most experienced designers and manufacturers of dams in the era.
The Vajont is a 34 km long torrent in the Northern Italian Province of Pordenone flowing from Friuli Venezia Giulia to eastern Veneto. The stream has carved a narrow gorge over time, known as Vajont valley or Valle del Vajont.
Blenders Eyewear is a US based eyewear brand headquartered in California, US.
Media related to Longarone at Wikimedia Commons