Historic heart of the Primiero valley, at the foot of the Pale di San Martino, with its Gothic parish church and a mining past.
A short history
Fiera di Primiero sits at 717 metres, where the Primiero basin opens out below the Pale di San Martino. It is the historic capital of the valley, the town where markets were held, justice was administered and the communities of the whole Primiero gathered for centuries.
Its fortune began with mining. Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the mountains around gave silver, copper and iron, and German miners came up these valleys to work them. That wealth built the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, a three-nave Gothic church rare for a mountain village, with its slender bell tower and carved wooden altars.
Once the mining cycle ended, the town lived on forests, crafts and trade. Then came tourism, drawn by the Pale di San Martino and the cool air of the basin. Today Fiera is still the service hub of the Primiero, with its narrow streets, old palaces and the shops that keep the town alive.
What to see
- The altopiano delle Pale di San Martino, the vast rock desert that towers over the basin, reached by lifts from nearby San Martino.
- The parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, a fifteenth-century Gothic church in the heart of the town, with its tall bell tower and wooden altars.
- The Cimon della Pala, the rock pyramid nicknamed the Matterhorn of the Dolomites, which closes the skyline north of the town.
Frequently asked questions
What to see in Fiera di Primiero?
The heart of the town is the Gothic parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its bell tower and wooden altars. From here it is a few minutes up to San Martino and the lifts for the Pale di San Martino plateau, with the Cimon della Pala looming over the valley.
Why is Fiera di Primiero the capital of the Primiero?
Because it was the market and administrative centre of the valley for centuries. The wealth of the silver and copper mines, between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, made it the most important town of the Primiero, as its large Gothic church shows.