Dolomites

Background

The Dolomites (Dolomiten in German) lie in northeastern Italy as part of the Southern Limestone Alps, stretching from the Adige River in the west to the Piave valley in the east, across the three regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The highest peak, the Marmolada, reaches 3,343 meters, and the main summit of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Cima Grande, reaches 2,999 meters; the limestone cliffs glow red-purple in the sunset light. The range was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2009 (natural criteria vii and viii, 141,902.8 hectares). Its main centers include Cortina d'Ampezzo, Arabba, Ortisei and San Martino di Castrozza, and the Fassa, Gardena and Badia valleys. The long-distance Alta Via trails are numbered 1–10, with mountain huts (rifugi) along the way for rest. The name Dolomites comes from the carbonate rock dolomite, named after the 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu. The old name Monti Pallidi (Pale Mountains) is linked to the red-purple hues the mountains reflect at sunset. During World War I the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran through the Dolomites; Cinque Torri, Monte Piana and Mount Lagazuoi keep open-air war museums, and many via ferrata routes were opened in wartime. Every year in the first week of July the one-day road cycling race Maratona dles Dolomites crosses seven passes.

Local customs

Walk the Tre Cime circuit and see the full north face from the Rifugio Locatelli. Take a cable car up to the Seceda or Marmolada viewpoints. Walk a section of an Alta Via long-distance trail and spend a night in a mountain hut. Ski in winter, hike and cycle in summer and autumn. Rest in the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo and try South Tyrolean mountain dishes.

Rules that apply here

Travel tips

• Mountain weather is changeable, and even at the height of summer you may meet rain or snow, so bring windproof and warm clothing and plenty of water. Popular trails and huts need advance booking in high season. Some pass roads close in winter
• check official information for opening. For hiking and skiing, stay within your abilities
• for costs, check official information. Enter the mountains from Venice, Verona or Innsbruck
• Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bolzano and other towns are gateways. Within the area, mountain roads, buses and cable cars link the valleys and viewpoints, and the Tre Cime area can be reached by road to near the Rifugio Auronzo.
• Winter is the ski season, when the slopes and towns are liveliest. Summer and autumn are the hiking and cycling seasons, when trails and huts are fully open. Late spring and late autumn are transitional seasons, when some high trails and cable cars may close, so check official announcements before travelling.