The Fascination of the Dolomite Mountains

The 26th June 2009 was a very important date for those that live under the Dolomite Mountains in the north east corner of Italy. UNESCO unanimously agreed that this should be declared a World Heritage Site under the category of Natural Beauty, the second such site in Italy with the other being the Aeolian Islands in Sicily. In fact Italy has the largest number of heritage sites out of any country in the world when you consider the entire range of categories.

This new classification aims to protect as well as celebrate the natural landscapes in this area with their incomparable beauty. The Dolomites extend across 142 thousand hectares with 85 thousand hectares of protected area divided between Belluno, Bolzano, Pordenone, Trento and Udine.

There are 9 mountainous groups characterised by Dolomite rock that is named after French geologist and naturalist Déodat de Dolomieu (1750-1801), who was the first to study this particular type of rock back in 1791.

The Dolomites today have a very different appearance to when it was formed. Around 250 million years ago the climate was completely different and they were in fact covered by sea in an environment reminiscent of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Over the sediment deposits began eventually over 80 million years following a clash between European and African plates below the earth’s surface.

Amongst the numerous peaks across the Dolomite range, ones to note include the Marmolada with its 3342m peak, the 3 Peaks of Lavaredo, the Piz Boè in the Sella group and the Vezzana Peak in the Pale of San Martino. And that is not counting the equally stunning landscape of the Alpine valleys with their meadows and fir trees that seems almost unreal in their perfect beauty.