Tour of Porte Rendena

On January 1, 2016, the three towns of Darè, Vigo and Villa Rendena merged to form the new municipality of Porte di Rendena. Rich in interesting landmarks, these stunning alpine villages feature examples of local architecture, and the great many mountain huts and cabins that dot the slopes of Val di San Valentino testify to area’s ancient, pastoral past. Darè was once a typical Rendena-valley rural village, with its stone houses built one right next to the other featuring their characteristic shingles and decorative doorways sporting family crests. This ancient village was destroyed by fire in the mid-1900s, but it preserves traces of its past in the heart of town. Vigo Rendena rises partly up the eastern slopes of Corno Basso and partly runs along the valley floor along the edge of a vast agricultural area. This village, too, was destroyed by fire in 1929 and was nearly entirely rebuilt. Villa Rendena, at the southern end of the Rendena Valley, also includes the villages of Verdesina and Javrè. The municipality was not spared from the plague of the 1600s and, like all villages of the broader area, has been rebuilt after being destroyed by fire, which burned the wooden superstructures of the village’s typically massive homes. Piazza Maggiore features a number of interesting frescoes of a religious nature.