Costalta is a little village surrounded by pine forests and meadows half way up Monte Zovo montain in Comelico.
Until the first half of the XX century most of the houses in Costalta were made in wood, typical examples of architecture in Cadore. From the 1950s onward people started pulling them down to have them replaced with brick houses. Nowadays only about thirty wooden houses still remain as a memory of what the village used to be.
In order to show to right advantage this architectural patrimony, the Association CostaltArte promoted a festival that goes under the name of "Una statua di legno, in una casa di legno, in un paese di legno" ("A wooden sculpture, in a wooden house, in a wooden vlllage"). The aim of the festival is to match a wooden sculpture to each wooden house in a dozen years.
The festival takes place every year during the last week of July and it encounters the traditional celebrations of St. Anne, the patron saint of the village. Every year three artists are asked to carve their sculptures next to three houses that are chosen by a commission. Mr. Gianni Pezzei, who is in charge of the artistical management of the festival, intends to give expression to as many different styles as possible in this open-air museum that is unique in all the Alps.
All the sculptures, yet tied to the houses next to which they have been made, will remain as a property of the Regola, an ancient institution that has managed the collective ownership of grazing grounds and forests throughout the centuries.

Work carried out
by sculptor TITA ZASSO,
carved up with wood of cirmulus-tree.
In the last centuries the house has been dwelt by the families STADOAN SAI.
The latest owner, Angelo, told he was abducted on a night by the devil and carried beneath the rocks of Mount Longerin.

Work carried out by sculptor FABIO CORBA, carved up with wood of cirmulus-tree, stone and mortar.
The house, finished in the year 1900, is one of the latest ones, completely built up with wooden rafters.
It was owned by the families CASANOVA CONSIER, anciently known as carters, who would bring wheat and wine from the Venetian plain to the village.

Work carried out by sculptor BEPPINO LORENZET, carved up with wood of cirmulus-tree.
Through the years the house has known several family changes.
The originary ownership unit belongs to the DE VILLA RONA lineage.
In 1900 in the so-called "STUA" situated southwards, the nicknamed "PAPES DI TONDE" carried on their trade of tailoring; from here the big needle carved on the bas-relief comes accordingly.

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SMASHING SUCCESS OF THE "SCULPTURE-WEEK" AT COSTALTA

The "wooden sculpture-week" at Costalta is seen with interest by the inhabitants of the village and by many tourists who approach to the three places where Ugo Demetz and Ossi Senoner from Gardena valley, Mario Iral from Padua and Gianni Stiletto from the region of Alpago (near Belluno) are giving shape to their works. "Association CostaltArte" has taken care of the printing of a brochure which contains information on the dislocation of the wooden houses, flanked by last year's sculptures and by the most recent ones.
The scent of cirmulus spreads through the village roads together with the curiosity for the sculptures that are being given shape.
The artists will carry out their own works' finishing up until Saturday, day that marks the delivery of the statues to the village and the artists' prize-giving with the prize entitled to Beta Fabiana, Mario De Villa Palù's grandmother, the entrepreneur whose parentage came from Costalta and who lives in Ventimiglia, the one who placed the prize's sum of money at disposal of CostaltArte. The manifestation "A WOODEN HOUSE, IN A WOODEN HOUSE, IN A WOODEN VILLAGE" sees its way through a series of meetings which flank the sculptures carrying out.
As the show of pictures and wooden masks named "LUCI OLTRE IL CONFINE" (LIGHTS BEYOND THE LINE) is going on in the Sai family's house-museum, last night the book "I MONTI DEL COMELICO" (THE MOUNTAINS OF COMELICO VALLEY) printed by CAI VAL COMELICO got presented.
One of the authors, ACHILLE CARBOGNO, Comelico culture-animator, former school-headmaster, now in charge at the "Elderly University", learner and informer of many aspects of the history, the art and the traditions of the valley, was there to show up the subject of the interesting booklet.
Tonight it is the CORO COMELICO (COMELICO CHOIR) that will sing in front of the wooden houses where the sculptors are working.
A way through the paths of the village with three stopping-places when the songs of the latest CD "ARMONIE DI CORI" (CHOIRS' ARMONIES) are going to be performed.
Tomorrow night, in the "House of Regola" hall, European folk-music with the group "AL TEI" and Friday in front of the Gnoches' house, theatrical performance of the Musical Group of Costalta (Gruppo Musicale di Costalta) with the play "CO MANCIA LA COMPAGNIA" (WHEN YOU'RE ALONE).
For detailed information you can visit the site: http://digilander.iol.it/costalta

LUCIO EICHER CLERE (IL GAZZETTINO, 25-7-2001)

CULTURAL WEEK AT COSTALTA

A charming way through books, melodies, images, theatre and wooden statues.
Close or at least suspended, the "summer" experience also knownas "AGOSTO IN VILLA" culture in S.Pietro's municipality strengthens at Costalta.
In fact it could not be correct to say that it blossoms out and be reductive for a village that from time out of mind, brings out a percentage of graduates and holders of a diploma above the municipal average, for a village that has always leaned on the importance of a cultural training, for a village through which we can breathe yesterday's history and the teachings of the past in order to build the present and the future above all.
Thus, with pleasure and renewed interest, also this year, for the second edition of a series which is supposed to be durable, from Sunday 22nd we'll be able to get through the discovery of our own origins, of feelings, of messages expressed through the many-sided communication devices of this festival: "A wooden statue, in a wooden house, in a wooden village", prepared by Association CostaltArte, under Gianni Pezzei's artistic directing.
In the charming and brilliant atmosphere of the houses (CEDE) of Costalta, for the entire week coinciding with the celebration of St.Anne (the patron), moments dedicated to the sundry cultural ambits, from the book trade of figurative art, from the mountain song to the European folk-music, from the stage to sculpture will be given in.
Books, melodies, images, theatre and naturally the wooden statues will take us through a charming way, even allowing us to get acquainted with the typical "CEDE" of Costalta and this geographically little but culturally important and lively reality of the valley.

YVONNE TOSCANI (L'Amico del Popolo, 21-7-2001)

  by NERIO DE BETTIN

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The sculptor has represented the dawn with the features of a fascinating woman. In its plastic movements the artist blew the freshness of the air in a Dolomites' morning.

The artist from Vittorio Veneto represented in his panel the eternal fight between good and evil. Here return some of his favourite subjects as cats and owls, beside the "onghene", fairies who often appear in the local folk tales.

The sculptor racalls the miage of an ancient owner of the house, who used to write the last wills of the people from Costalta, he being one of the few who were able to read and write.

  by Association CostaltArte

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OTHER PICTURES AVAILABLE
IN THE ITALIAN VERSION
"Una statua di legno, in una casa di legno, in un paese di legno":

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2000

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2001

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2002

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2003

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2004

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2005

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2006

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2007

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2008

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2009

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2010

SCULPTURES OF YEAR 2011