Cadore

Cadore (kaˈdoːre; Ciadòre; Cadór or, rarely, Cadòria; Cadober or Kadober; Sappada German: Kadour; Cjadovri) is a historical region in the Italian region of Veneto, in the northernmost part of the province of Belluno bordering on Austria, the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is watered by the Piave River which has its source in the Carnic Alps. Once an undeveloped and poor district, the former contado (countship) of Cadore now has a thriving economy based on tourism and a small manufacturing industry, specialising in the production of glasses. The celebrated Renaissance painter Titian was born in Cadore, probably in 1488–90, one of a family of four born to Gregorio Vecelli, a distinguished councillor and soldier descended from the counts. The painter's birthplace in Pieve di Cadore, in a locality named Arsenale between the castle and the village Sotto Castello, is open to visitors. Titian's wife, Cecilia, was also born in Cadore, the daughter of a barber. Originally populated by people who spoke Proto-Italic, Euganei and then by the Celtic Gauls, the area now known as Cadore was later conquered by the Romans during the second century BC and became part of the Regio X Venetia et Histria. In the Late Antiquity era, Cadore was occupied by invading Germanic populations and was first declared part of the Duchy of Carinthia and finally, in 1077, part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. From 1135 to 1335, Cadore was ruled by the da Camino family, the Counts of Cadore, who later became the Signori family of Treviso. It was briefly annexed to Tyrol and again was ceded to the Patriarchs of Aquileia. However, the comuni of Cadore always enjoyed a certain degree of self-government. When the Republic of Venice conquered the neighbouring Friuli region in 1420 and put an end to the temporal power of the Patriarchs, the rulers of Cadore were forced to choose between aligning with Venetia or the Imperial. It declared its loyalty to the former, becoming one of many parts of the Terra ferma, administered by a local podestà.