If the Prosecco Hills are the beating heart of our territory, the’Cansiglio Plateau it is its wild, deep and regenerating soul.

Located on the border between the provinces of Treviso, Belluno and Pordenone, Cansiglio is a vast karst plateau at over 1,000 metres above sea level. But don't just call it a “wood”: it's one of the oldest and most precious forests in Italy.

Historically, this forest belonged to the Most Serene Republic of Venice, which jealously protected it for centuries. The wood from its straight and robust beech trees was used to build the oars for Venetian galleys. Today, walking here means strolling through a living natural monument, where history has left a silent but powerful imprint.

Il Cansiglio is often described as “the forest of the Doges”, but for those staying in Miane, this definition is somewhat of an understatement. It is a high-altitude karst plateau acting as an enormous green lung, capable of lowering the perceived temperature by 10 degrees and completely resetting the rhythm of anyone arriving from their daily labours.

3 Reasons to Go (and Why You'll Fall in Love)

1. The silence that regenerates

After the dynamism of the hills and a glass of Prosecco at the end of the day, Cansiglio offers the perfect contrast. Here, the sound of the car disappears. You'll find yourself immersed in an immense beech forest where the only sound is the wind in the leaves and, with a bit of luck, the call of deer. It's the ideal place for those who truly need to ’unplug“.

A table set at 1,000 metres

Going to Cansiglio also means discovering a unique gastronomic culture, influenced by the historical presence of the Cimbri community (a population of Germanic origin who settled here in the Middle Ages). You can't leave without having tasted the mountain cheeses, produced in the dairies dotted across the plateau, and the polenta cooked according to local tradition.

3. Activities for each rhythm

Whether you are experienced hikers or lovers of a relaxed stroll, Cansiglio welcomes you:

• For those who want to walk: Dozens of well-marked trails leading to the surrounding peaks (like Monte Pizzoc) with views stretching as far as the Venice Lagoon.
• For those seeking relaxation: Vast grasslands perfect for lying down with a book or having a picnic, surrounded by deer that, not infrequently, can be observed in the meadows at dusk.
• For nature lovers: The “G. Lorenzoni” Alpine Botanical Garden” it is a must-visit for anyone wanting to discover the unique biodiversity of this plateau.

Why Cansiglio is a must-visit for those staying with us

This isn't about “seeing a wood”. It's about having a unique geographical experience. Unlike the Prosecco hills, here the landscape is dominated by ancient beech forests, high-altitude meadows and a silence bordering on sacredness.

The legacy of the Serenissima: The Forest as an open-air arsenal

Many see Cansiglio as a green playground. Those who are observant, however, read into the forest a pre-industrial planning.

• The Rowdy Woods When the Council of Ten of the Serenissima defined Cansiglio as “Bosco da Remi” (1548), they weren't giving it a poetic name, but establishing a protection order. The Republic of Venice needed beech trees with regular growth, free of knots, and with perfect structural flexibility for the oars of its galleys.
• Guided natural selection: For centuries, coppice management has been surgical. This has favoured the development of tall, straight beech trees devoid of low branches, creating that “colonnaded” effect we still see today. It is not a random woodland, it is The natural architecture of a naval power.
• Why it is unique today: Walking among these giants means walking in a cathedral designed by Venetian economy. The current lushness is the result of centuries of management that prevented indiscriminate grazing (which would have killed the young beech trees) and wild logging, making the Cansiglio a unique European laboratory of forest biodiversity.

The Silent People: The Cimbri Community

You cannot understand the Cansiglio without understanding who lived in symbiosis with its harshness. The Cimbri are not a tourist attraction, they are a page of European history transplanted to 1,000 metres.

• Origins and settlement: Having probably arrived from Central Europe in the Middle Ages to work wood, the Cimbri developed a way of life based on “forest transhumance”. They did not live in the woods despite its hardness, but Thank you Ah, I see.
• I “Casoni”: The architecture of Casoni (their typical dwellings) are the material demonstration of this symbiosis. Built with humble materials, salvaged from the woods themselves, they were designed to withstand harsh winters and to be partially dismantled or transformed. Visiting the Cimbrian villages (such as Vallorch) means seeing how a culture can maintain its linguistic and social identity while remaining confined to an isolated karst plateau.
• The sustainability lesson: Theirs is a story of “ethical extraction”. They only harvested what was necessary for their subsistence and for the timber trade, in a pact of mutual aid with the forest that is today the subject of university studies on sustainable land management. For our guests, this means understanding that Every piece of cheese or wooden object purchased in the area has a story of millennia of resilience behind it.

The Alchemy of Taste: Why Cansiglio Cheese is Unique

Many think that alpine pasture cheese is “good because it's handmade”. In reality, Cansiglio cheese is a Natural sciences based on three precise technical factors that clearly distinguish it from valley floor products.

• The Botanical Flora (Biodiversity) Unlike meadows heavily fertilised in the valleys, the Cansiglio pastures are characterised by untouched floral biodiversity. The cows feed on medicinal herbs, alpine flowers and essences not found at lower altitudes. This “botanical park” is directly transformed into the aromatic profile of the milk and, consequently, the cheese.
• The effect of altitude on ageing: The daily temperature range and specific humidity of the Karst plateau influence natural fermentation. Cansiglio cheese has a paste structure and olfactory complexity that vary depending on the month of alpine grazing: cheese produced in June (fresh grass) is radically different from that of September (late-season grass). This is not variety, it is Ecosystem traceability.
• The processing method (The Alpine Dairy): The transformation often takes place with “raw milk”, keeping the natural lactic ferments from the area intact. When our guests taste this cheese, they are not just eating a local product, they are savouring the distilled essence of the plateau. For those staying with us, it's the most direct way to “savour” the mountains after walking them.

💡 Insider tips for your day

• Always bring an extra layer: At 1,000 metres, the temperature is always bracing, even in the height of summer. A jumper in your backpack is never a bad idea!
• The magical moment: If you can, arrive in Cansiglio in the late afternoon. The sunset light filtering through the beech trunks creates an atmosphere that seems straight out of a timeless fairy tale.
• How to get there From Miane, the car journey is a beautiful trip of about 50-60 minutes. It's the classic outing we recommend to break up your stay and return to Corte di Marga with your eyes full of greenery.

Useful information for visiting Cansiglio

As host of La Corte di Marga, I always receive some recurring questions from our guests, which I thought I would include in a dedicated FAQ section:

Find out more and organise your itinerary

Now that you've discovered the wild soul of Cansiglio, continue your journey through local traditions:

• Would you like to delve deeper into the oenological aspect? Read our guide on How to distinguish Prosecco DOCG from the rare Verdiso.
• Are you looking for the perfect comfort after a day of trekking? Discover our apartments at La Corte di Marga and find the ideal solution for your rest.