Eni Village: A modern utopia hidden in the Dolomites

HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE

• Origins and development: Built between 1952 and 1962 as a corporate welfare facility for Eni employees and their families. After Mattei's death in 1962, expansion was halted. Eni used it until 1992, when it was sold to private individuals.
• Urban planning vision: An experiment in "social urbanism," in which there were no distinctions between roles and classes: workers and managers lived in the same villas.
• Architecture integrated into nature: Everything was designed to blend in with the environment – ​​underground cables, raised villas, local materials (wood, concrete, and stone).
• Structures present: approximately 280 single-family homes, a large holiday camp (approximately 30,000 m²), a campsite with permanent tents and A-frame cabins, a hotel/residence, the church designed by Gellner and Scarpa, a shop, bar, spa, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and ski facilities.

WHAT TO VISIT INSIDE

The site now hosts the ProgettoBorca project, curated by DolomitiContemporanee since 2014. It offers guided tours, artist residencies, and cultural events. Here are the main sites:

• The Holiday Camp: An imposing central structure with social spaces: a lecture hall, a refectory, and large windows. Open for guided tours in the summer months, it is often used as a setting for artist residencies.
• Church of Nostra Signora del Cadore: Designed by Gellner together with Scarpa, it features a bell tower that blends in with the trees. It can be visited freely or with guided tours during the summer months.
• Villas and A-frame cabins: In the lower and upper reaches of the forest, now hidden by pine trees, these are the heart of the residential area, designed for relaxation and connection with the mountains.
• Camping and hotel/residence: This area, originally dedicated to children (camping with permanent tents) and individual visitors, is now part of the cultural offering.

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR VISITORS

• Access: The village is not always open. Visits, especially to the Colonia and the Church, require reservations, especially during the summer (guided tours every Saturday at 2 pm).
• How to get there: From Cortina or Belluno, take the SS51 Alemagna to Borca di Cadore, follow the signs for Villaggio Corte delle Dolomiti, arriving at Via Enrico Mattei 5.
• Contact details and opening hours:
  - Progettoborca / Dolomiti Contemporanee – mail: info@progettoborca.net
  - Cadore Dolomiti Tourist Office – San Vito di Cadore, tel. +39 0436 9238
  - Church open Tuesday–Sunday at scheduled times (first weeks of summer).

WHY IT'S WORTH A VISIT

• An experience of modern architecture: one of the few examples in Italy of the integration of design, welfare, and nature on an urban scale.
• Scenic setting: nestled in the woods, with spectacular views of Mount Antelao.
• Cultural renaissance: a vibrant place thanks to artistic residencies, installations, and guided tours featuring stories and testimonials.
• Not far from Cortina: an excellent stop during excursions or weekends in the Dolomites.

Visiste guidate villaggio Eni

May 30 - August 28, 2025 · Borca di Cadore

Guided tours require mandatory reservation. Email address: info@progettoborca.net

Free offer. Meeting point: via Mattei 5 Borca di Cadore.

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