Museum and House of Papa Luciani
In the town's main square, in a fifteenth-century building adjacent to the church of the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista, stands the Museum dedicated to Blessed Pope John Paul I, officially inaugurated on 26 August 2016 by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The museum is run by the Fondazione Papa Luciani Onlus.
The permanent exhibition aims to raise awareness of the life and teaching of Albino Luciani. His greatness also emerges from his knowledge of the historical context in which he was born and raised, the ancient parish church of Canale d 'Agordo, which saw his vocation mature and determined his personality. The museum is spread over three floors, through a modern multimedia path, with audio, video, illuminated display cases and descriptive panels. An audio guide service in seven languages makes the route understandable to English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Italian speakers.
A study centre and a specialised library have also been set up at the headquarters of the Papa Luciani Foundation to meet the needs of visitors and scholars. This institution collects documents, photographs, objects and books relating to Papa Luciani and the places that formed him, in particular the Biois valley, where he was born and grew up.
The birthplace of the future Pope is a humble 18th-century building, located in the central area of the town, on an alley called Rividèla, in Canale d 'Agordo. The original building included the house and an adjoining barn (tabià) which was then demolished in 1959 when Edoardo, Albino's brother, enlarged the house, having twelve children. The attic has been completely restored and is currently used as a meeting and video room. The garage now houses the Lancia Flavia that belonged to Patriarch Luciani when he was in Venice.
The birthplace represents the place of affection, to which the Luciani family has always been very fond, Albino first. In fact, he would return whenever he could. After Edoardo's death, it remained under the management of his children, and was finally purchased by the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto, thanks to the donation of Cardinal Beniamino Stella, on 27 June 2019.
It was opened to the public by Cardinal Stella himself, Postulator of the Cause of Canonization of Pope John Paul I and Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, on 2 August 2019.
Included in the entrance ticket to these places are, finally, the ancient House of Rules of 1640, a historic building where the local administrative power was located, the monumental Church of San Simon (1185), frescoed by Paris Bordone, a student of Titian, a national monument since 1877 and the adjacent Schola della Confraternita dei Battuti, in the nearby village of Vallada Agordina.
