La Muda is not only the oldest osteria in Veneto, but also one of its most fascinating places located at the crossroads between two worlds, that of the Prosecco hills and the valleys of Belluno, on top of Passo San Boldo, in Cison di Valmarino, one of the most unusual works of engineering genius in the world. The Passo (mountain pass) played, in fact, a key role during the First World War when, following its strategic importance, the Austro-Hungarian Empire built a road, called “the route of 100 days” because of the short time it took to build it, famous for its five stiff and spectacular galleries.

Strategic passage of people and goods through the centuries, La Muda (customs in the local dialect) was founded back in 1470 as a place to pay the duty for the goods carried through customs. In 2014 La Muda regained his buzzy convivial allure thanks to Federica and Enrico who fell in love with the place to the point of turning it into their den of love made of traditional recipes and tasty products from the nearby mountains.

Thanks to them, Federica is the lovely hostess, while Alberto is the chef, La Muda is today one of the most welcoming and fascinating places in Veneto where it seems that time has romantically stopped.

The atmosphere is made even more precious by the wonderful rustic chic details of the restaurant such as the original menus, hand-made by using scraps of the famous Eger fabrics, and the placemats created with Alpago wool from the Lanificio Paoletti in Follina.

The cuisine is made special by ingredients selected from small farms and local producers, such as dairy cheeses or organic eggs coming from the Dolomites, while the vegetables are grown by Enrico and Federica in their garden. Soups, pastas and desserts are all homemade and every Thursday the highly sought-after Alberto’s gnocchi are prepared, strictly by hand, one by one. The fab meats are cooked as in the past it used to be traditionally done: stewed on a terracotta pot on the “larìn” (the fireplace), braised in wine or cooked at low temperatures.

In addition to the seasonal menus, La Muda offers its “classics” all year round. The selection of local specialties includes cold cuts and cheeses served with delicious homemade sweet sauces, Lamon beans balls, or pastin meat with polenta. The excellent wine of the house, selected from the local wineries, definitely deserves a taste, alternatively, you can choose from the many labels selected from different areas of the Triveneto.

Near Passo San Boldo, just 5 minutes by car, you can also visit Brent de l’Art, a suggestive natural canyon that can be reached after a short walk from the parking area.

The Secret

After the retreat of Caporetto, it was the IV Austro-Hungarian Army, in January 1918, that ordered the construction of the road that takes to Passo San Boldo in order to make it suitable for heavy traffic in view of the important offensive scheduled for June 1918 (Battle of the Solstice). To allow the work to be completed quickly, 1,400 workers were employed in 24 hours for a total of 7,000 people. This way, the spectacular road was completed in only 100 days.

Useful Info

La Muda di San Boldo
Passo San Boldo 2
31030 Cison di Valmarino, Treviso
Tel. +39 0437 757253

First courses: 8 — 9 euro
Second courses: around 12 euro