July/August 2023


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DESTINATION MED | 17


Make for the mountains and discover a natural paradise...


IT was Le Corbusier, the famous French naturalised Swiss architect, town planner, painter and designer, who called them “the most beautiful architectural work in the world”. A paradise


for those who love untouched nature, sport, uncompromising


mountains and traditional flavours: the Dolomites, the legendary mountain range of the Eastern Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage List site. The so-called “pale mountains” are distributed over three regions, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. An absolutely unique habitat in which to enjoy breathtaking views. Where are the Dolomites The Dolomites are a series of mountain groups in the Italian Eastern Alps characterised by their composition: they are made almost entirely


The mountain complex covers over 140,000 hectares and extends,


Bolzano,


evolution since as far back as the Miocene: the rock layers, created by the accumulation of shells, corals and algae, first emerged from the sea in which they had sedimented, slowly transforming into mountains.


of dolomite,


a rock consisting mainly of the mineral dolomite. This is what gives them their famous pale colour.


as


mentioned, over three regions and five provinces (Trento,


Belluno,


Pordenone and Udine, with a small part also in Austria with the Lienz Dolomites). It’s easy to say Dolomites... but the mountain range is really quite extensive. They range from the Brenta Dolomites to the group formed by Catinaccio and Latemar, from the Sexten Dolomites to the Pale di San Martino, from the Marmolada massif to the group composed of Pelmo and Croda da Lago, and finally to the Friulian Dolomites, the easternmost of them all.


Among the most popular areas is


the Dolomiti Superski, a vast area with a national park, no less than nine nature parks and Italy’s largest linked ski area. History and information on the Dolomites


The history of the Dolomite landscape has been in continuous geomorphological


The Dolomites are named after the French naturalist Déodat de Dolomieu, who first studied the particular type of predominant rock,


christened


in his honour. The first geographical designation of the term Dolomites dates back to 1837 in a London guide describing a mountainous region between the valleys of Fassa, Gardena, Badia, Val Pusteria and the Veneto Alps. The name became official in 1864, when a travel report by two English naturalists was published. The old name, Monti was


Mountains), precisely


Pallidi (Pale related


to


the composition of the Dolomite rocks, which appear pale, shiny and able to reflect the surrounding light. Pale by day, the Dolomites turn reddish at sunrise and sunset, the Enrosadira or Alpenglow effect. Why the Dolomites are a UNESCO site These marvellous rock cathedrals


are World Heritage Sites because of the unique


mountain cultural landscape of


outstanding natural beauty, characterised by the carbonate sedimentary rocks, i.e. the dolomitic rocks with a valuable geology making it possible to study and rediscover marine life in the Triassic period. Skiing, hiking, relaxation and great food.


In the Dolomites you can eat very well thanks to michelin-starred restaurants and malghe (shepherd’s huts) where you can taste products directly from the farmer. Three must-have specialities are produced in this area: • Asiago PDO cheese is a traditional product produced only between Vicenza, Trento and a part of Padua and Treviso.


• •


The tasty malga cheese is made from milk milked at high altitudes in the historic alpine pastures of the Dolomites.


The famous Belluno Dolomites PDO honey is a delicacy processed by the Apis mellifera from the nectar of the area’s flowers.


www.italia.it ‘Dolomia’


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