San Tomaso Agordino [San Tomàs in the local dialect] is a small and charming mountain village of the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site located above Cencenighe Agordino in a sunny and panoramic position at the confluence of the Val Cordevole with the Val Biois; the municipal area of San Tomaso is composed of many severed hamlets whose administrative centre is the hamlet of Celàt. In this hamlet, visitors can admire the so-called “Vatican”, an centuries-old historical building called so because of its size; the Vatican was built in the beginning of the 18th Century and it represents an excellent example of native traditional architecture of the Southern Dolomites.
To the municipal territory of San Tomaso Agordino belongs the hamlet of Avoscan on the entrance of the Val Cordevole; this hamlet is named after the noble family of the Avoscano, and in the past in this place stood their castle, of which nothing but the memory remains.
The hamlet of San Tomaso Agordino offers also a modern planetarium, called “Centro Astronomico Provinciale Emigranti”[Provincial Astronomic Centre “Emigranti”] realized in 2004 with a public contribution; the San Tomaso Planetarium has an aluminum dome that can contain up to 25 guests simultaneously and a projector that duplicates the motion of almost 2400 celestial bodies. The Planetarium is furthermore equipped with a huge telescope with a 450-mm diameter lens and controllable by computer; Celat is the ideal place to house such a facility, since the hamlet is located in an extraordinary panoramic position and the built-up area does not produce much light pollution (the brightness of the main square in front of the Planetarium can be manually adjusted when someone is using the telescope). Since 2004, the Planetarium of San Tomaso Agordino is run by the Cieli Dolomitici Association that organizes interesting astronomical evenings open to everybody. The day usually dedicated to guided visits is Friday from 20.30 to 22.00; for additional information and reservations it is advisable to contact the Municipality of San Tomaso Agordino at the phone number +39 0437 598004.
In recent times, after a period of massive emigration, San Tomaso Agordino is experiencing a moment of great satisfaction thanks to a capable local administration that enhances the typical manufacture and agricultural activities for a future tourism development; in this context was created the Barley Festival (usually on the first weekend in September). Another ace in the hole of this Municipality is the Zipline San Tomaso, a marvellous zip line (the highest of the whole dolomitic area, and soon also the longest); the guests of San Tomaso Agordino can experience the thrill of an amazing 1-mile cable ride at 80 km/h with an unbelievably beutiful view on the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and on the village of San Tomaso.