The best running trails around Tambre

The Pian del Cansiglio is a vast plateau located in the Belluno Prealps at an altitude between 900 and 1,200 meters above sea level. It extends across the Veneto region (provinces of Belluno and Treviso) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (province of Pordenone). Its famous and immense forest – composed mainly of beech and Norway spruce – is considered one of the largest and most fascinating in Italy, historically known as the "Bosco della Serenissima" because the Republic of Venice drew timber from it for the oars of its ships.

The Cansiglio Forest hides a myriad of sinkholes, pits, and swallow holes of all sizes, due to the karst morphology of the territory: the rain dissolves the limestone rock, slowly but inexorably forming these natural chasms and fissures on the ground. The Bus de la Lum is an abyss characterized by a single large vertical entrance shaft 180m high, which then develops into a very large and articulated underground complex. The depth of the shaft is best appreciated out of season, because in summer the lush vegetation tends to partially obscure the view. According to ancient beliefs, it is the dwelling of the Anguane or Anduane, fierce and evil witches, toothless, with long rusty nails instead of hair and sharp fangs, who kidnapped and ate children! They gathered at the bottom of the cave, lighting fires, whose glows rose to the surface, visible at night to the shepherds of the area: hence the name 'Buco della Luce' (Hole of Light). In reality, the legend has a grain of truth: on hot summer nights, will-o'-the-wisps could indeed be formed by the decomposing carcasses of livestock dead from illness, which it was customary to throw into the Buso. During World War II, the cavity was sadly used by partisans as a foiba, to dispose of the bodies of fascists and nazis, but also of civilians: over the years, several bodies and bones have been found during explorations. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_de_la_Lum

The Cimbri population, of Germanic origin, settled in the Venetian mountains as early as the Middle Ages, also reaching the Asiago Plateau. Between the late 18th and 19th centuries, some families moved from here to Cansiglio, attracted by the great availability of timber and the job opportunities offered by the forest. The Cimbri were indeed skilled woodcutters and artisans. Thus, several small settlements were born, including Vallorch, founded in 1850. It is today the best-preserved and reconstructed village, after having been destroyed during both the First and Second World Wars, and it preserves the characteristic wooden houses with typical Nordic architecture. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallorch

The Chapel of San Floriano, located at an altitude of 1,176 meters on the Cadolten karst plateau, is a small and evocative sacred building nestled among the pastures and woods of Cansiglio. This small church, reachable through pleasant hikes starting from Passo della Crosetta or Monte Pizzoc, represents a precious testimony to the area's historical pastoral vocation and the deep religiosity that once bound the shepherds to the territory during the alpine grazing period. The building is dedicated to Saint Florian, traditionally invoked as a protector against fires. This devotion was fundamental for the local shepherds, whose huts ('casere') and dwellings ('casoni'), characterized by wooden and reed roofs, were extremely vulnerable to fire. Today, the chapel is a beloved destination for hikers and cyclists seeking peace, nature, and historical memory.

Malga Valmenera is a farm-holiday facility located on the edge of the Piano di Valmenera, one of the three depressions that make up the central part of the Cansiglio Plateau. It occupies part of the western slopes and is surrounded by 74 hectares of meadows used for grazing its own livestock. The malga is open on weekends between September and June, while it remains open every day during July and August. It offers catering services with specialties of the Cimbra cuisine (beef stew, Alpago lamb bake, spit-roasted meat, pastin and grilled cheeses) and products of its own production (cheeses and cured meats). There are also 16 beds available in 7 single or double rooms with private bathrooms. Completely rebuilt in 2017 and transformed into a modern structure, it is owned by Veneto Agricoltura.

Together with Pian Cansiglio and Cornesega, Valmenera is one of the three depressions that make up the central part of the Cansiglio Plateau. The largest in terms of area. This evocative basin is particularly known for its cold microclimate, where record thermal inversions are recorded with temperatures that, in the winter months, can drop to extreme levels. A historical peak was reached in March 2005, when ARPA Veneto analyses recorded a temperature of -35.4°C. Located in the municipal territory of Tambre (BL), it has a wide and flat bottom, called Piano di Valmenera. It represents a typical polje, whose slopes are largely covered by arboreal vegetation; the western slopes, on the other hand, are characterized by meadows, with rather degraded herbaceous vegetation, due to exploitation in the form of mowing and grazing. The dairy farm of the same name, which today operates as a farm stay, is in fact surrounded by 74 hectares of meadows used for grazing its own livestock. Up to here, through the Campon valley, came a tongue of the ancient and vast Piave Glacier. The Piano di Valmenera and part of the basin are part of the "Pian di Landro-Baldassarre" Oriented Nature Reserve.

Part of the itinerary towards Valmanera in winter.

A simple yet very pleasant route. A nearly pristine valley on the Cansiglio plain.