Dolomites

Nine separate parcels, or systems, in the Dolomites, were declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site in 2009. This means the United Nations has declared them so important to humanity’s common heritage that protecting them will contribute to achieving world peace. 

The Dolomites’ beauty is now preserved for posterity and for the whole world to enjoy. Here you are in the area called Dolomiti di Brenta. It is System #9, the easternmost parcel.

Here, you are in System #1, the center of the nine UNESCO properties. 

If you look closely on the horizon, you may begin to see animals, birds, or fantastic creatures in the peaks of these magical mountains, some of whose names reflect these associations for example, Monte Civetta, Italian for “Owl Mountain”). 

There are few other places on the planet that offer such vivid drama of which so many people partake.

The Norway spruce trees that populate the Dolomites have provided top quality “resonance” wood for cellos, violins, and pianos for centuries. The great maestro Antonio Stradivari praised the wood’s unflawed, compact, and uniform density. 

Only these kinds of narrow growth rings produce wood capable of sending pure, harmonious sounds.

If you were a golden eagle soaring among the Dolomites, you’d see zigzags and lines crisscrossing the terrain. Some are broad, paved roadways that serve cyclists and cars such as the one you can see here in the distance. Others are the narrow and winding paths carved by indigenous animals and sometimes borrowed by skillful adventurers.

The animal wildlife in the Dolomites is among the richest in the Alps and includes bear, chamois, alpine ibex, eagles, wood grouse, and alpine marmots. The region is zigzagged by eight long-distance trails, known as Alte Vie (“Alpine highways”), some of which require some serious hiking skills and equipment. The many animals that use the trails can travel light!

The Dolomites played a significant role in World War I history. The trench lines of the Italian and Austrian troops were aligned on the border, which the Dolomites straddled. 

For centuries, the region had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but the Treaty of St. Germaine in 1919 declared this empire dissolved. The region was awarded to Italy and the Italian flag has waved over it ever since. 

The language, place names, and flavor of the area, however, continue to reflect both cultures.

See the sign pointing hikers in various directions? See the flag painted on the side of the rock? Free climbing has been popular since 1887, the year that 17-year-old Georg Winkler soloed the first ascent of Die Vegoletturme. 

He didn’t yet have use of via ferrata (Italian for “iron road”), steel cables that are fixed to a steep hiking trail every 3 to 10 meters (9 to 30 feet). Modern hikers secure themselves to these cables, limiting any fall. Today, there are more than 400 via ferrata in Italy, over half of them in the Dolomites.

The Dolomites offer world-class ski resorts that cater to people of all ages, nationalities, and abilities. The ski season lasts from November through April, and also offers opportunities for Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountaineering, ice-skating, and snowboarding. But bring your warmest jackets, gloves, and boots: those Alpine winds are brutally cold!

Champion U.S. ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson highly recommends the Dolomites, where she spends much of her off-season days: “Those mountains are breathtaking. It was endless trails, and then you go in for lunch and have amazing Italian food.” Many skiers enjoy “safaris,” which take them from resort-to-resort to enjoy a different mountain each day. 

Websites promote indulgences such as “the gastronomic trip of a lifetime!” that include traditional folded pastas called casunzels, dumplings of bread and ham called canederli, and many types of cheeses and dry-cured meats.