Sappada (Plodn in the local dialect) is a mountain village in the province of Udine, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, on the border with the Veneto and a few kilometres from Austria. It lies at 1,250 metres, at the eastern end of the Dolomites, and has about 1,300 inhabitants, a number that multiplies with visitors in summer and winter.
The landscape
The village stretches from east to west along the valley, beside the Piave, which rises within the municipality at the foot of Monte Peralba (2,694 m). All around are spruce and larch forests and meadows that are mown for hay in summer and become ski slopes in winter.
A unique language and village
Sappada is a linguistic island: its people still speak Plodarisch, an old German dialect brought by the first settlers from nearby Austria and preserved almost intact over the centuries. There are studies, books and even a Sappada dictionary.
The village is divided into fifteen hamlets (borgate). The oldest form Old Sappada, with its typical wooden houses, and thanks to them Sappada is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and holds the Touring Club’s Orange Flag.
Tourism, all year round
Today tourism is the village’s main resource, summer and winter: ski lifts, cross-country trails, hiking paths and mountain huts, and a family-style welcome. Find out what to do in winter and in summer.
Where to stay in Sappada
Our apartments Olbe (up to 7 guests) and Poch (up to 5 guests) are in Borgata Granvilla, in the centre of Sappada, a few steps from the slopes, shops and restaurants. When you book directly you pay no commission.