The Italian Dolomites

Author: Serena

The Dolomites have been defined as the “most beautiful mountains in the world”: they are a very wide mountainous area that covers the three Italian regions called Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli and Veneto. This mountains are placed in the north-eastern part of Italy between the Austrian boundary and the Veneto plain being part of the three Italian provinces of Belluno, Trento and Bolzano.

The geological peculiarity of these mountains is due to the union of two different typologies of rocks: the volcanic one and the dolomites one. The history of the mountaineering itself has been written on these legendary summits from the IXX century until today.

The Dolomites are made up by 15 different mountainous massifs: each one of them reaches 3000 metres altitude even if the Marmolada peaks reach an height of 3.343 metres. All these massifs are separated by rivers, valleys and passes. The most important rivers are the Isarco, the Adige, the Rienza, the Piave, the Avisio and the Cordevole.

A Dolomites river

Which one called Brenta is the unique massif placed in the western part of the Adige river: it has an oval shape that is slightly separated from the rest of the Dolomites.

The Brenta mountains are placed between the two valleys called Rendeva and Meledrio, between the Val di Sole and the Val di Non. You find them in the southern part of the Dolomites because they are exclusively part of the Trentino territory. Their spires, eroded by atmospheric agents, change their colour throughout the day offering to tourists very striking landscapes. Many international visitors are also attracted by the Brenta plateaus and by its alpine lakes like which one called Molveno that is the biggest one in this territory. Here you can visit many important tourist cities like Madonna di Campiglio, Folgarida and the Raganella Plateau where you can do many winter sports.

The Brenta mountains

The most important Dolomites mountains are:

The Marmolada (3.342 metres altitude)
The Antelao (3.263 metres altitude)
The Monte Civetta (3.220 metres altitude)
The Sassolungo (3.181 metres altitude)
The Monte Pelmo (3.169 metres altitude)
The Latemar (2.814 metres altitude)

The most important Dolomites valleys are:

Conca Ampezzana
Val Gardena
Val Badia
Val di Fassa
Valle del Primiero
Val Zoldana
Val di Fiemme
Val Fiorentina
Cadore

A Dolomites valley

These valleys are characterized by green pastures and woods, by imposing rocky faces that during the sunset become pink and red explaining in this way the reason why they are also romantically called “Pale Mountains”.

The Dolomites during the sunset

From the Val Badia to the Val di Fiemme, from the Val Gardena to the Ampezzano, everyone of you can find the ideal place for an unforgettable holiday: this is a perfect solution both for families that just want to relax and for mountaineers who want to win their own limits.

In the Alta Badia, at the bottom of the Sassongher massif, you can visit Corvara that can be defined the most beautiful city in this valley. Corvara is part of the Bolzano Autonomous Province.

The most important Dolomites lakes are:

The Alleghe lake of Misurina

The Alleghe lake

The Dobbiamo lake

The Braies lake

The Landro lake

The Auronzo lake

The Pieve di Cadore lake

The Fedaia lake

The S.Croce lake

The Braies lake

Dolomites Fauna

Wandering through the Dolomites paths it is easy to see many prairie dogs. It isn’t difficult also to meet roes and deers.

Reaching the highest picks you can also see chamois and ibexes; it is fortunately very difficult to meet one of the rare brown bears that live in this territory.

However in the Dolomites nature you can also find weasels, martens, hares and squirrels. Watching the sky you can see partridges, golden eagles, raves and carrion-crows. In the wood you can find woodpeckers, owls, capercaillies and burrowing owls and a big variety of coloured butterflies. Rivers are finally full of delicious trouts.

Ibexes on the Dolomites

Dolomites Vegetation

The Dolomites woods are the biggest and richest ones in Europe. Here you can admire cembra pines, mugo pines, red firs, larches, sylvester pines, black pines, beech trees, birches, willows together with other trees types like the golden chain and the maple.

During the flowering season you can see all the colours of the 50 different species of orchids, of the fields beautiful flowers, of the several soft fruits, of the edelweiss and of the other lonely rocks flowers. There also are endemic peculiar Dolomites species: in the Alpe di Siusi plateau, for example, there are many medicinal herbs and every kinds of mushrooms.

The Dolomites edelweiss

Typical drinks

Having a rest in one of the many local mountain dews you can taste several types of fruits and herbs grappa or hot drinks like the Jagertee (tea with rum), the Bombardino and like the Calimero. Which one called Bombardino is a hot drink made up by egg liqueur, brandy or rum adding whipped cream and some cacao powder. The Calimero is made up by egg liqueur, coffee and whipped cream.

The Bombardino

Typical food

The most typical dishes are the polenta (the typical Italian cornmeal porridge) with mushrooms, game meat, the canederli or knödel, the spätzli (little dumplings), the pastin, the casunziei (filled ravioli) and the famous apple strudel.

The Casunziei

In winter the Dolomites become an unique, wide ski area called Dolomiti Superski: 12 ski zones (belonging to 12 valleys), 450 ski lifts, 1200 km of ski slopes. Everything is accessible through an unique skipass.

A Dolomiti ski slope

The most important cities of this ski area are: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Plan de Corones, Alta Badia, Val Gardena – Alpe di Siusi, Val di Fassa – Carezza, Arabba – Marmolada, Alta Pusteria, Val di Fiemme – Obereggen, San Martino di Castrozza – Passo Rolle, Valle Isarco, Tre Valli, Civetta.

You can even follow 16 thematic Skitours like which one called Sellaronda (the complete tour of the Gruppo del Sella massif) or like the Big War Skitour that will lead you in all those places where the World War I took place. Finally, you can also visit all the Dolomites natural parks.

How to arrive in the Dolomites

Those who come from extra-European countries can arrive in the two main international airports of Milan and Monaco (Germany).You can also decide to arrive in the Venice airport. Finally there also are two small regional airports placed in Innsbruk (Austria) and in Verona.

Travelling by car the trip from these airports to the Dolomites cities will last more than 4 hours coming from Milan, more than 3 hours coming from Monaco, more than 2 hours coming from Innsbruk , Verona, and Venice.