Tabià da Rin

These meadows, rich in floral species, are still used for haymaking today: around the second half of July, you can see locals busy mowing the meadow and drying the hay. The meadow also offers a splendid view of the Marmarole range: to the right, from left to right, stand the Croda Bianca (2,841 m above sea level), Cimon del Froppa (2,932 m above sea level), Croda Baion (2,615 m above sea level), Croda da Rin (2,424 m above sea level), and Croda Alta di Somprade (2,654 m above sea level), while on the left stands Monte Ciarido (2,504 m above sea level).

Several trails leading to the Pian dei Buoi plateau, in the municipality of Lozzo di Cadore, start right from the Tabià da Rin. Among these are the dirt road that climbs up the Val De Poorse and the CAI trails 272 and 273, which wind along the slopes of Monte Ciarido and reach the area known as “Pian de le Ciave,” a gravelly clearing once used as a sand quarry, where the trails split: the CAI 272 trail continues through the Pomadòna cirque toward Forcella Paradiso and the Ciareido Mountain Hut, while the CAI 273 trail crosses the Costa de Pomadòna, where shepherds once drove their livestock to pasture from the Cason de Valdazéne.

The name of these places likely derives from the legend of the Croda della Po’ Madonna (or Croda de Pomadòna), located in the Marmarole range. A long time ago, a couple and their daughter Anna had gone up to Malon to cut grass. While her mother and father were busy working, Anna—who was busy picking flowers and blueberries—was drawn to the sound of small silver bells. Intrigued, the little girl approached to try to find the source of the sound, but whenever she got close, the bells moved a little farther away. Without realizing it, Anna had by then wandered far from her parents, when a small, mischievous dwarf dressed in red emerged from a hedge: the Matharuò. This creature convinced Anna to follow him through the mountain pastures, and after making her walk for a long time, when night fell, he abandoned her in the Marmarole Mountains. Only then did Anna realize how far away her mom and dad were, and she began to cry, despair, and call out to them at the top of her lungs. Then, exhausted and tear-stained, she fell asleep on a meadow. She was awakened by the pleasant sound of little silver bells, and so Anna continued to follow them for eight days and eight nights. One morning, she finally realized she no longer knew where she was, and, not knowing what to do, she looked around for help. She saw before her an immense blue mountain that, to her child’s eyes, looked like the Virgin Mary, and so she began to pray. Suddenly, from a silver cloud in front of the peak, a beautiful woman dressed in blue emerged; she brought Anna back to the tabià from which she had set out and then vanished. Meanwhile, the little girl’s mother, unable to find peace over her daughter’s disappearance, searched the entire Marmarole range and, after much anguish, was finally able to return and hold her little Anna close once more.