Longarone is a town and ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' on the banks of the
Piave in the
province of Belluno
The province of Belluno (; ; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.
It has an area of and a population of about 198,000 people.
Geography
Situated in the Alps, the province of ...
, in northeast
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It is situated from
Belluno
Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...
.
4,642 people work all together in Longarone, which is 112.62% of the total population, with most actual inhabitants working within the village.
Geography
The town is located on a road linking
Belluno
Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...
to
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo (; , ; historical ) sometimes abbreviated to simply Cortina, is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomites, Dolomitic) Alps in the province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the ...
, close to the borders of
Veneto
Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
with
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...
. Its nearest villages are
Castellavazzo,
Casso and
Erto.
History
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
Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...
, 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
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
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
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in which a few companies of German troops led by
Erwin Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...
successfully captured an entire Italian division of over 10,000, retreating after the
Battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
of
Kobarid (Caporetto). Rommel was awarded his
Pour le Mérite
The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...
medal for this achievement.
Dam disaster

The village was destroyed in the
Vajont Dam disaster on October 9, 1963, when a landslide from
Monte Toc forced 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.
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.

Longarone was rebuilt following the tragedy
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
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician, statesman and banker who was the President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 and the Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994.
A World War II veteran, C ...
.
Economy
Eyewear production
From the 1960s to the 1990s, a eyewear district grew stronger in the Piave Valley (sometimes referred to as the
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
of optics) and Longarone became the headquarters of many eyewear manufacturers.
Safilo had moved its main eyewear production plant in Longarone in the 1970s (until it was transferred to
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...
's Thélios in September 2023).
Marcolin also moved its headquarters to Longarone in the 1970s (and opened a second production site in Longarone in 2015). Thélios opened its own eyewear manufacturing plant in Longarone in 2018.
Buildings
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.
Twin towns
*
Urussanga, Brazil
*
Bagni di Lucca
Bagni di Lucca (formerly Bagno a Corsena) is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of about 6,100. The comune has 27 named frazioni (wards).
History
Bagni di Lucca has been known for its thermal springs since the ...
, Italy
References
External links
Longarone official site
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Veneto