Ampezzo Krampus

Krampus in the Ampezzo basin

Originally, the worship of god Silvano was surely present in the Ampezzo basin. According to historian Giuseppe Richebuono, the first Christian chapel, dedicated to St. Peter, was erected on a place of worship of God Silvano. Now in the same place is the Minor Basilica of Saints Philip and James.

​The worship of the pagan divinity has also remained in the toponymy. In Cortina, on the slopes of Monte Faloria (formerly Mondeciasadió), rising from Fraina to Mandres on the basal wall of the mountain, stands a characteristic engraving on the rock, a squared rectangle that looks like a huge door. It is the Gate of God Silvano, a place of pagan worship and a tourist destination of rank in the nineteenth century, rarely frequented today. It is theGate of God Silvano, a place of pagan worship and a tourist destination of rank in the nineteenth century, rarely frequented today.

In Cortina d’Ampezzo, as in most of the towns in the Old Tyrol, Saint Nicholas is celebrated on 5 December with the traditional parade. The custom of the Krampus accompanying the Holy Father has undergone drastic changes since annexation to Italy, and especially under fascism, making them simple tunic dresses with a covered face. ​

Only recently, even in Anpezo (named Ladino di Cortina), he began to use traditional wooden masks.​