In the past the craft of the stonemason, "scarpelìn" or "taiapiere" in the Venetian dialect, characterised the life of some areas of the Belluno mountains for a long time.

In particular, the inhabitants of the towns of Cencenighe Agordino and Castellavazzo specialised in the hard work of cutting stone. The rhythmic and pounding sound of chisels beaten against the rock marked the workers’ days and was the sound that welcomed anyone who came to these areas.

Most of the stonemasons produced everyday objects but there was no shortage of gifted artists who dedicated themselves to sculpting decorative items such as the statues that adorn the gate of Villa Crotta - De 'Manzoni in Agordo.

Today the activity of extracting and processing stone, as well as the stonemasons themselves, are remembered thanks to two museums. The first is located in Castellavazzo and is organised into five sections featuring a collection of old machinery, tools, photographs and reconstructions. The second is a small open-air museum and is located in Cencenighe Agordino; along the exhibition path you can see artefacts made from local stone and historical information boards.

Useful information:

Museo della Pietra e degli Scalpellini, Via Roma, 16, 32013 Loc. Castellavazzo, Longarone (BL) Tel. +39 3479647588

Museo all’aperto degli Scalpellini, Via Pennsylvania, 37, 32020 Cencenighe Agordino (BL) Tel. +39 0437591549