Vajont Dam is a disused hydro-electric dam in the valley of the Vajont river below Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, about 100 km north of Venice. Built between 1957 and 1960, it reaches 262 m. On 9 October 1963, during the first filling of the reservoir, a landslide from Monte Toc sent a 250 m wave over the crest, destroying Longarone and other villages and killing an estimated 1,900 to 2,500 people. The dam survived and still stands. Guided tours have run onto the crest since 2002, and the dry reservoir has been open to visitors since 2007.
Vajont Dam
In the first days of October 1963 the south side of Monte Toc was creeping almost a metre a day.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible parking spaces.
- Parking
- Two car parks within 400 m of the dam: paid at about 285 m, free at about 390 m. Street parking, both free and paid, along the road.
- Transport
- Nearest bus stop, Bivio Casso, about 1.1 km from the dam.
- Advance booking
- Guided tours can be booked online in advance or paid for at the kiosk on the day.
- Hours
- Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00; closed Monday to Friday.
What makes it special
The wall is 262 m high and holds back no water at all: the reservoir behind it is dry, packed with the flank of Monte Toc that came down on 9 October 1963 and filled the basin in 45 seconds. The displaced water rose in a 250 m wave over the crest and fell into the Piave valley, destroying Longarone and neighbouring villages and killing around 2,000 people. The dam itself came through it. The top metre or so of masonry was scoured away, the structure stayed intact, and it has stood ever since. Warnings that the mountain was unstable had been made and dismissed for years; UNESCO later listed the collapse among five cautionary tales of engineering and geology. A visitor centre covers the disaster, and guided tours go out onto the walkway along the top.
Good to know
- Crest only with a guide: you can walk up to the dam on your own, but the walkway across the top is reached only on a guided tour.
- Tours are in Italian: the walk over the crest and the views down the gorge work without the commentary.
- Parking fills on Saturdays: the spaces nearest the dam go, and you end up walking in from further along the road.
- Toilets: the nearest are about 240 m from the dam, with more at around 410 m.
Getting there
Nearly everyone arrives by car: the regional road up the valley runs straight past the dam, and the wall comes into view where the gorge narrows. From the car parks it is under 400 m on foot to the dam, with an information point on the way. Anyone coming by bus faces a walk in along the road. The walkway across the crest is reached only on a guided tour; the ground either side of the dam is open on foot.
Best time to visit
Better: Sunday.
Avoid: Monday to Friday, when the site is closed.
Tours run at weekends only, and Saturday is the day the parking near the dam fills; a Sunday visit gets the same walk over the crest with less pressure on the spaces.
Sun & daylight
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Frequently asked questions
Can you walk along the top of the dam?
Yes, but only with a guide. Tours take visitors onto the walkway along the crest; without one you can still reach the dam on foot and see it from the rear.Do the tours need booking in advance?
Not necessarily. Tours can be booked online beforehand, or paid for at the kiosk on the day.What language are the tours in?
Italian. The walk over the crest and the views into the gorge still work if you do not follow the commentary.Is there still a lake behind the dam?
No. The 1963 landslide filled the reservoir, which is now dry and packed with rock and earth. It has been open to visitors since 2007.How many people died in the 1963 disaster?
Estimates run from the official figure of 1,917 to about 2,500. Longarone, Pirago, Rivalta, Villanova and Faè were destroyed, and around 350 families lost every member.