[4] The settlement is situated on the southern slopes of the Peralba mountain, part of the Carnic Alps range, close to the border with Austria.

The local vernacular, Plodarisch or Plodar schproche[3] (sappadino in Italian),[3] is a variety of Puster Valley Tyrolean Bavarian that is closely related to the speech of nearby Sauris (Zahre) in Friuli.

The area of Sappada was initially part of the historic Cadore region, which Emperor Otto II ceded to the Bavarian Bishops of Freising in 973.

[5][6] According to the Italian constitution, municipalities bordering other regions or provinces have the right to ask for the incorporation into the neighboring entities.

The municipal council of Sappada took advantage of this possibility and asked the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia to join it.