Nine mountain groups of dolomitic rock, cut by vertical walls and crowned by spires that glow pink at sunset. The Dolomites have been UNESCO Natural Heritage since 2009 for their geological value, and remain among the most recognisable Alpine landscapes in the world, from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo to the high plateau of the Pale di San Martino.
At a glance
The UNESCO Dolomites take in nine separate systems spread across Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli, covering 141,903 hectares in all. The largest group is Pale di San Martino–San Lucano–Dolomiti Bellunesi–Vette Feltrine, which includes the karst plateau of the Pale, the widest dolomitic tableland in the Alps. The highest point of the whole system is the Marmolada, at 3,343 metres.
Among the best known systems are the Northern Dolomites, which include the Tre Cime di Lavaredo; the Puez-Odle, with the spires of the Odle visible from the Seceda plateau; and the Sciliar-Catinaccio-Latemar, where the Catinaccio group is famous for the Enrosadüra, the reddening of the rock at sunset.
Key facts
- Name: taken from the French geologist Déodat de Dolomieu, who in 1790 identified in the Tyrolean rocks a double carbonate of calcium and magnesium different from common limestone; the mineral was named dolomite in 1792 by the Genevan mineralogist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure.
- UNESCO extent: nine serial systems covering 141,903 hectares in all, recognised in 2009 under reference 1237.
- Highest peak: the Marmolada, 3,343 metres.
- Geological origin: an ancient tropical coral reef of the Triassic, formed about 240-230 million years ago in a warm shallow sea, later changed chemically into dolomite and lifted up by the Alpine orogeny.
- Distinctive chemistry: dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂) dissolves more slowly than common limestone, which explains the vertical walls typical of the dolomitic landscape and, together with the cleavage angle of the crystals, the Enrosadüra.
History
Dolomitic rock is born of a tropical coral reef that flourished about 240 million years ago in the Tethys Sea, peopled by organisms such as tubiphytes and the large Megalodon bivalves, whose fossils are still visible in the rocks of the Pale di San Martino. After the death of the reef, a chemical process called dolomitisation replaced the original calcite with dolomite, before the Alpine orogeny lifted the whole block to its present heights.
Modern mountaineering in the Dolomites begins in the nineteenth century, with the first ascents of the Tofane and the Croda da Lago led by Paul Grohmann. The most famous chapter remains the first ascent of the north face of the Cima Grande di Lavaredo, made on 14 August 1933 by Emilio Comici and the brothers Angelo and Giuseppe Dimai, a feat that marked a turning point in the mountaineering of the twentieth century. Reinhold Messner, born at Bressanone in 1944 and the first man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders, learned his craft among the Odle and the Geislerspitzen above his home town.
UNESCO recognition came in 2009, under reference 1237: it is the largest cross-border serial inscription in Italy and the first Italian natural site listed mainly for its geological value.
What you see
The circuit of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is a loop of about 2.7 kilometres with modest height gain, starting near the Rifugio Auronzo and giving from Forcella Lavaredo the best known view of the north face of the Cima Grande. At the Pale di San Martino, the cable car from San Martino di Castrozza reaches the karst plateau, a spread of limestone pavement at about 2,600 metres ringed by vertical walls several hundred metres high: the crossing between the Rosetta, Velo della Madonna and Pradidali refuges passes through one of the most spectacular karst landscapes in the Alps.
At the Costalunga Pass, with its view of the Catinaccio, one can watch the Enrosadüra, the reddening of the rock that peaks shortly before sunset and sometimes deepens in the minutes that follow. In Val di Fassa, the cable car from Canazei climbs to the Sass Pordoi, from which the Sella group appears at close range. At Cortina d’Ampezzo, in summer, a short walk from the Falzarego Pass leads to the Cinque Torri, which also hold a museum of the First World War dug into the rock.
Practical information
- Access to the Tre Cime: by toll road up to the Rifugio Auronzo; for current conditions and costs it is best to check the official channels of the Dolomiti UNESCO system or of the local authorities.
- Lifts: cable cars link San Martino di Castrozza to the Pale and Canazei to the Sass Pordoi; times and fares change with the season and should be checked directly with the operators.
- Best time: summer for high-level walking, with June and October still marked by leftover snow on the Pale plateau; sunset is the moment to watch the Enrosadüra on the Catinaccio.
- Downhill skiing: Cortina d’Ampezzo gives access to the Dolomiti Superski area, which links twelve ski districts.
Getting there
Cortina d’Ampezzo is the main point of reference for the Northern Dolomites; from there one reaches Dobbiaco, the starting point for the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and the Falzarego Pass, the way in to the Cinque Torri. San Martino di Castrozza serves the Pale, Canazei the Val di Fassa and the Sella, while Bolzano is the reference point for the Costalunga Pass and the Catinaccio.
Nearby
- Dobbiaco — the way in to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
- Costalunga Pass — about 40 km from Bolzano, a panoramic terrace over the Catinaccio for the Enrosadüra.
- Canazei and Val di Fassa — access to the Sass Pordoi and the Sella group.
- San Martino di Castrozza — cable car to the Pale plateau.
Sources
- UNESCO.
- University of Padua, department of glaciology.
- Messner Mountain Museum.
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