A short itinerary, which from Villa climbs up the open slopes of Pian, passing in front of the new houses built on the slopes of Col de la Viza, and along a nice path in the woods, returning to the village level with the bridge at the beginning of Sagui.
From the centre of the village follow the provincial road downhill for roughly more than a hundred metres then take the narrow road which climbs up towards Villa, among old tabià and houses (among these one belonging to the painter Fiorenzo Tomea). Level with a fountain climb up to the left along the little road towards Col de Costa, which opens up among meadows, with a wide view over the mountains of Zoldo; head up for roughly 200 metres, very steep in sections (beautiful crucifix half way up the itinerary), till you reach the main road which leads from Bortolot to Pian (for those wanting to avoid the steep section you can follow this road which sets off from the southern end of Bortolot.)
Continue along the road which climbs up to Pian, passing beside the landing pad of the heliport, and continue towards the new houses (via Lizon) which overlook the plateau from the slopes of Col de la Viza. Leave the road with the houses (which continues towards Forcella Ciandolada and rifugio Venezia), and follow the road which passes in front of the buildings (large public car park) and continue a few metres ending beside a television mast. A nice path continues (signposts for Zoppè, marked Cai 456), which after a few bends downhill cuts Col de la Viza in a westerly direction and heads down to Zoppè above Bortolot.
At the end of the itinerary, instead of giving into the temptation of reaching the main road straight away, it is worth continuing at altitude for another short section, passing near the old tabià, and then following the Strada del Fen (marked by centuries-old ash-trees and further on by a row of younger beech trees) return to the provincial road just above Villa.
Masi Simonetti (1903-1969)
Tomaso Michele Simonetti was born in Zoppè di Cadore on 27 March 1903. He was orphaned at an early age and brought up first by his grandmother, Anna Maria Menegus, and then in 1919 he emigrated with his uncle Bortolo to Pavia. He worked there as a pedlar selling sweets but had the opportunity of studying with a professor of art. In 1925 he moved to Paris to stay with his sister Amalia where he was able to come into contact with the avant guard modern art tendencies (cubism, abstractionism etc.) and where in 1932 he married Madeleine Leonine Aubert. From 1930 to 1947 he participated in various important artistic events of the time (Salon des Independents, Maison des Prisonier) and presented his first personal exhibitions in France (1937 Galerie Carmine, 1943 Galerienneau, 1944 Galerie Carpenter).
In 1947 he started to return to Zoppè every so often with visits gradually lasting longer. Two personal exhibitions were held in Italy during his lifetime: in 1963 at the Civic Museum of Belluno and in 1965 at the Circolo Artistico in Cortina d’Ampezzo. From 1966 to 1967 he worked on two great works which can be admired today at the Scuola Media in Forno di Zoldo. In 1968 he returned to Paris just before Christmas and on 21 February 1969 died there at the age of 66 of an incurable disease.
[contents: Unione montana Longaronese Cadore Zoldo]
