The town
Lorenzago is located on the left bank of the Piave River and sits on a green plateau at an elevation of 883 meters above sea level. It lies along the State Road 52, which connects Cadore to Carnia through the Mauria Pass, forming a border area between the province and the region.
Lorenzago is not divided into fractions, but has two distinct urban layouts: one dense and compact, consisting of two historic villages, and a more contemporary one extending to Monteona, Dera, Piate, and Rivadó. The two historic villages are connected by a section of State Road 52, which runs through the entire town: from Piazza Calvi (the main square), it rises to Cima Faureana; then it follows the Viale Città di Genova, passing through the Villagrande (Gortina) and Villapiccola (Vila) villages, where the road climbs again up to the Ramaió Bridge and continues for eight kilometers to the Mauria Pass, which descends towards Carnia and Friuli. The Mauria Pass and the mountain of the same name, with its funnel-shaped sinkholes carved by water, are entirely within the territory of Lorenzago.
From Prehistory to the Middle Ages
Little can be said about the ancient history, although it is believed that Lorenzago has been inhabited since the Stone Age, as evidenced by a stone hammer found in Mauria, specifically in the Ciole quarry in 1885 by the local resident Mario De Marco. The hammer, which was later purchased by Don Pietro Da Ronco and donated to the museum of Pieve di Cadore, appears "of the size and shape of those used by priests to strike the victim in sacrifices."
In the Iron Age, it can be reasonably assumed that the Reti not only penetrated the wide Adige valley but also the narrower Piave valley. This is confirmed not only by Pliny but also proven (by the authoritative judgment of Ascoli) by the Cadore dialect, in which numerous remnants of Ladin, or Reto-Latin, can be found.
Through the Mauria Pass, the Illyrians, who belonged to the Venetian lineage, would have also arrived. The Celts certainly reached Carnia and therefore Lorenzago, as the name of the town, the region, and other place names are of Celtic origin. Subsequently, perhaps starting in 115 B.C. when Consul Marcus Aemilius Scaurus triumphed over the Carni, the Gauls of Carnia (de Galleis Karneis), Lorenzago, like the rest of Cadore, came under Roman rule. By 27 B.C., under Emperor Caesar Augustus, it became part of the tenth region "Venetia et Istria." In the 1st century B.C., like the rest of the Cadore region, Lorenzago was probably assigned to the Tribus Claudia and, at the same time, incorporated, along with the entire Cadore area, into the Roman municipality of Julium Carnicum (modern-day Zuglio). An additional clue of the town’s existence during the Roman Imperial era comes from a silver coin found in the area bearing the likeness of Emperor Flavius Vespasian (69-79 A.D.). It is certain, however, that Lorenzago was an ancient Roman stronghold!
After a pagan past, Lorenzago, between the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., was probably one of the first villages in Cadore to be evangelized. Tradition holds that Saint Hermagoras, a disciple of Saint Mark, sent by Saint Peter to preach Christianity in Aquileia, passed through Mauria, as evidenced today by the name "Pra' del Santo." Saint Hermagoras is the patron saint of the town, and the parish church of Lorenzago is dedicated to him.
The Middle Ages
Little is known about this dark period, although it can certainly be said that the steep and difficult valleys of Cadore were an unattractive invasion route, especially when compared to the more accessible Friulian valleys. Nevertheless, Lorenzago, more than other Cadore villages, might have experienced some barbarian incursions (Visigoths, Huns, etc.) coming through the Mauria Pass.
From 476 to 568, Lorenzago, like the rest of Cadore, was subsequently under the rule of the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, the Franks, and the Byzantines. Starting from the Early Middle Ages, Lorenzago came under Lombard control.
From 568, with the Lombards, Cadore must have formed a "sculdascia", a military unit that later became a territorial division, consisting of a group of one hundred or one hundred and twenty families of the same lineage, called "fare" (for this reason, the area was also referred to as "Centenario"). In addition to safeguarding public matters, it was also responsible for the enforcement of Lombard laws. Each "sculdascia" was divided into ten or twelve "decanie" for centuries. Lorenzago, along with Vigo, Laggio, Pelós, and Pinié, formed one of the ten "decanie" of Cadore, called "Oltrepiave." Later, each "decania" was referred to as "Centenaro."
Following the defeat of the Lombards in 774, the Franks returned. Charlemagne granted the March of Friuli to a marquis, under whose jurisdiction were the counts of Ceneda, Belluno, and Cadore. Thus, the governance of the region was taken away from the Lombard "gastaldo" and transferred to a count. Each village was then led by a "marico" or "marigo", a title that remained in use for centuries before being replaced by the modern term "mayor." The "marico", chosen from among the heads of families, was assisted by two "laudatori", the present-day councilors; together, the three formed the so-called "Banca," honored with the title of "Magnifica," and served for one year. They administered the communal assets, consisting of mountain pastures and forests, which were overseen by two "saltarii," or forest wardens. The revenue from the communal forests was such that it minimized the need for taxes.
Charlemagne also established the borders of the Patriarchate of Aquileia on June 14, 811, in Aachen. It is therefore certain that, religiously, Lorenzago was part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia as early as 811. In 875, when Berengar of Friuli became marquis, Lorenzago was already part of the March of Friuli. Subsequently, Gualfredo and Grimoaldo became the marquises of Friuli. However, from 951, with Otto I, until 1077, Lorenzago, like all of Cadore, came under the rule of the dukes from across the Alps: the Dukes of Carinthia. In 1077, Henry IV of Franconia established the ecclesiastical principality of Aquileia, of which Cadore was also a part until 1138. The patriarchate then subinfeudated Cadore to other vassals, and the Lords of Camino, an illustrious family of Lombard origin, became the masters of Cadore from 1138 to 1335. During this long period, conflicts arose between the villages of Cadore, particularly over territorial boundaries, and Lorenzago was often involved in disputes with neighboring towns, some of which are still well-documented. It is evident that with the growing population, each village expanded its boundaries, particularly to acquire new pastures as close as possible to their settlements, thus generating frequent disputes. The statute given to Cadore by the Caminens in 1235, written in Pieve di Cadore by notary Vacelo in the presence of a Cadore delegation, including an Ambrogio of Lorenzago, was invaluable. The statute given to Cadore by Biaquino III of Camino is likely the oldest code of laws and regulations Cadore had, and the Caminens' period, lasting almost two hundred years, was certainly a positive time for all of Cadore, seeing during this period the birth of the Magnificent Community of Cadore.
In 1347, Cadore came under the direct rule of the patriarchs of Aquileia. In the act of dedication to Patriarch Bertrando, drafted in Pieve on May 31, 1347, among the representatives of the Cadore centenaries, there is an Antonio from Lorenzago, who, along with Ducius from Vigo, Petrus de Pelusio (Pelos), Zanetus de Vigo, and Odorico de Pelusio, represented the centenary and the university of Oltrepiave.
Like all the villages of Cadore, Lorenzago also had its own statutes or "laudi." The first was compiled in 1365 with the involvement of the people from the villages of Chiasate and Miandre (Melandris), which disappeared at the beginning of the 16th century. It is, like all the others, a true rural code, primarily aimed at ensuring private property and the free use of communal goods, with precise boundaries of the local "Regola" (community land) clearly outlined.
The beginning of the "Flagellant" movement, or "School of the Battuti," in Lorenzago is likely dated to the end of the 14th century, although the first historical reference is later. The confraternities of the flagellants, called "Fradès," whose name derives from the practice of public self-flagellation, were widespread throughout Italy.
After the collapse of the temporal power of the patriarchs of Aquileia, Doge Tommaso Mocenigo invited the people of Cadore in 1420 to accept Venetian rule. Lorenzago representatives certainly participated in the chapel of Valle di Cadore at the Mass of the Holy Spirit and in the solemn decision of the people of Cadore, which was summarized in the famous phrase "Eamus ad bonos Venetos" ("Let us go to the good Venetians"). Lorenzago, as mentioned, was part of the Oltrepiave centenary, which was represented by three members in the General Council of Cadore, and had a "commendatore" with the powers of modern judicial officers. Lorenzago also, like every other municipality, had a "giurato" or police officer, who oversaw measurements and the observance of annual regulations. This form of local government remained in place until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797.
From 1500 to Napoleon
From 1508 to 1511, during the tumultuous period of the war against the League of Cambrai, Lorenzago, along with all of Cadore, suffered from the frequent passage of troops, looting, and devastation. In 1508, Girolamo Savorgnan and other commanders in the service of the Serenissima entered Cadore through Carnia, crossing the Passo della Mauria, and passing through Lorenzago they descended into the Piave Valley to join the army of General Bartolomeo d'Alviano. The following year, after defeating the resistance of the people of Cadore at Cibiana and entering the Piave Valley, the Imperial forces, led by Prince Rodolfo of Anhalt, attempted to advance into Oltrepiave. After setting fire to Domegge and passing through Lozzo, they tried to reach the Ponte di Pelos, but due to sudden panic, they retreated. In October 1511, under the orders of the French captain Regendorf, the enemy invaded Cadore from Pusteria and forced the Pieve garrison to surrender. However, the Venetians sent troops from Friuli under the command of Camillo di Colloredo, who quickly reached Lorenzago via the Mauria on October 12.
But the invaders had already looted or set everything on fire, and the inhabitants, who had descended from the mountains, forests, huts, and alpine pastures where they had taken refuge, had to build temporary shelters to face the winter. Unfortunately, with the frequent passage of soldiers, a terrible plague epidemic ravaged Lorenzago between 1511 and 1512, causing the death of a third of the village's population.
From then until the 18th century, Lorenzago was no longer troubled by foreign armies. However, it was damaged by frequent fires, among which the most devastating occurred in 1616, 1716, and 1792. During this entire period, disputes with neighboring municipalities did not cease, and memories of these conflicts are preserved in numerous documents in the ancient archive of the Cadorina Community, held at the State Archive of Venice.
After nearly three centuries of relative peace under the protection of the Serenissima, Lorenzago's tranquility was once again disrupted by the French invasion in 1797. An Austrian garrison was stationed in Lorenzago, and some Tyrolean companies were placed on the Mauria to counter the passage of the French, who had already reached Tolmezzo. However, the Austrians soon withdrew to concentrate their defense in Gogna. On May 13, 1797, a unit of French soldiers reached Pieve, instituting the Napoleonic Code in Cadore. The region was reorganized with a new civil and criminal system and was divided into six cantons, one of which included Lozzo (the capital), Lorenzago, Vigo, and Auronzo. Despite the frequent passage of French soldiers, the village remained unharmed, although they demanded the surrender of all the church silver and a contribution of food supplies.
Nowadays
Since the last decades of the 19th century, Lorenzago has been a popular resort destination. The first push came from lawyer Giovanni Facheris, who significantly contributed to the development of the town.
The town became famous worldwide, particularly for hosting the summer stays of two Popes. Saint John Paul II chose to stay in Lorenzago seven times, while Benedict XVI spent a vacation in the area in July 2007.
Lorenzago continues to thrive on tourism and more. An entire museum and even a trail are dedicated to the Popes. Tourists, who visit the town every year, are drawn to the breathtaking natural landscape that the Cadoran mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have to offer.
The municipality has been administered by Mayor Marco D'Ambros since May 2019.