General information regarding History, Culture and local Traditions

Agordino (the area of Agordo)
Four Alta Via n.1. routes cross the area of Agordo.
Rather than dwelling on the historical events, which are similiar to those of Belluno and of the Serenissima of Venice, it is worth remembering the important role Agordo had in exploiting its mines.
In the XV and XVI centuries there was no place from Mis to Caprìle, from Vallès to Duràn, which didn't have a mine (iron, copper, lead or even silver). Not always, but very often, there were also blast-melting furnaces and small or big forges in operation producing tools, nails, and steal weapons. The forementioned were situated in the Valle (valley) del Mis, in the famous Val Imerìna, in the Val di San Lucano, on the slopes of Framònt, in the Valle del Biòus (Fregòna and Garès), in the Val Pettorìna, in Alleghe, in the Colle Santa Lucia and even in the Passo (pass) Giàu. In the forges of Alleghe and Caprile a flourhishing artisan craftmanship existed and the blades produced were competitive withToledo. A pirite mine (discovered by Francesco Crotta) was put in operation in Val Imperìna in 1618 and operarted until recent years, mercury mines were opened in the area of Gosaldo and Rivamonte (Vallalta) in 1723.
Cupritian pirite had already been exploited in Val Imperìna in 1417, and consequently copper. Martin Sanuto in his itinerary studies (1483) of the venetian mainland provided further information. In short, Val Imperìna became an important center and Agordo took the role of "città mineraria" (mining town) with directive, operative and service activities.
At the beginning of the XVII century, the Crotta family restructured the Crotta Villa. Notwithstanding its decentralized position in respect to other Ville venete (Venetian Villas)it still holds its place as one of the most classcial and well-preserved villas. The copper production amounted to 50% of the Veneto region requirements and the number of lumberjacks and coal miners increased from 300 in 1592 reaching 1,293 in 1795. The overhanging village of Riva di Agordo (today Rivamonte) provided the labour force. In 1669 the Crotta Family consociated with a public company administered directly by the Serenissimo in order to exploit the mines to the maximum and in the space of fifty years it assumed great dimensions and validity. In 1787 the heirs of the Crotta family renounced this role thus the public company took complete control of all the mining and metallurgical activities in Val Imperina. In 1910 the mines passed into the hands of Montecatini. Then due to the lack of industrialization and the discovery of new deposits more competitive and profitable the actitivities gradually died, closing definitedly in 1962.
The Republic of Venice resolved to develope an institute for mining technicians in Agordo, but it was the Regno d'Italia which established the Scuola Montanistica (then Istituto Minerario "U. Follador") which is not only the most important of the four exsisting in Italy but also the richest in local traditions.
Tito Livio Burattini born the 1st March 1617 in Agordo is to be remembered, in 1647 he settled in Poland with his brother Filippo. He obtained Polish citizenship and received The Order of Knighthood of Poland for having carried out with great accuracy and precision the role entrusted by the "Tesoro del Regno". He was given the position of administering the iron and silver mines in Olkusz and later the iron mine in Zawadow by the Regina Maria Louisa. Tito Livio Burattini was an intellegent researcher and a sharp-witted man, he wrote an important and prestigious work: 'Misura Universale' published in Vienna in 1675 in which he proposed a unit of measurement equal for all, inventing the standard meter measure.