Like many other places in the province of Belluno, Auronzo was ruled by the Serenissima (Republic of Venice), which exploited the Somadida Forest as a reserve of high-quality wood for the Arsenal. The historical archives prove that the "Magnifica Comunità " of Cadore donated with a written act the forest, engaging itself to transport to Venice the red fir trunks by river. After many historical events had taken place, in 1866 the forest was included in the Public Property and it was declared inalienable with the law of the 20th June 1870.
The forest is a precious casket, where some of the most beautiful animals and flowers of the Dolomites are kept, such as the rare lady's slipper orchid, one of the biggest mountain orchids, protected by the fantastic figures living here.
There are also many legends and stories in Auronzo, such as the touching story of Valentin piccolo Forseni'n, a small and poor child who was abandoned by the cruel mother, which is still told by the grandmothers in Auronzo on St. Valentine's day, on February the 14th.
