Dolomites
Mountain range in the Italian Alps
The Dolomites (Italian : Dolomiti [doloˈmiːti] ),[ 1] also known as the Dolomite Mountains , Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps , are a mountain range in northeastern Italy . They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore ) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Italian: Valsugana ). The Dolomites are in the regions of Veneto , Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia ,[ 2] covering an area shared between the provinces of Belluno , Vicenza , Verona , Trentino , South Tyrol , Udine and Pordenone .
Other mountain groups of similar geological structure are spread along the River Piave to the east—Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave ; and far away over the Adige River to the west—Dolomiti di Brenta (Western Dolomites). A smaller group is called Piccole Dolomiti (Little Dolomites), between the provinces of Trentino, Verona and Vicenza.
The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park and many other regional parks are in the Dolomites. On 26 June 2009 , the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site .[ 3] [ 4] The Adamello-Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark is also in the Dolomites.[ 5] The Geological Museum of the Dolomites (in Italian Museo Geologico delle Dolomiti ) is located in Predazzo , Fiemme Valley .
Etymology
The Dolomites, also known as the "Pale Mountains", take their name from the carbonate rock dolomite . This was named after the 18th-century French mineralogist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu (1750–1801), who was the first to describe the mineral.[ 6]
History
For millennia, hunters and gatherers had advanced into the highest rocky regions and had probably also climbed some peaks. There is evidence that the Jesuit priest Franz von Wulfen from Klagenfurt climbed the Lungkofel and the Dürrenstein in the 1790s. In 1857 Irishman John Ball was the first known person to climb Monte Pelmo. Paul Grohmann later climbed numerous peaks such as the Antelao, Marmolada, Tofana, Monte Cristallo and the Boè. Around 1860 the Agordin mountaineer Simone de Silvestro was the first person to stand on the Civetta. Michael Innerkofler was one of the climbers of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo . Later very important local mountaineers, known for many first ascents, were Angelo Dibona and Giovanni Piaz .[ 7]
During the First World War , the front line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian Army ran through the Dolomites, where both sides used mines extensively. Open-air war museums are at Cinque Torri (Five Towers), Monte Piana and Mount Lagazuoi. Many people visit the Dolomites to climb the vie ferrate , protected paths through the rock walls that were created during the war.
A number of long-distance footpaths traverse the Dolomites. They are called alte vie (German: Dolomiten Höhenwege – high paths), and are numbered 1 to 10. The trails take about a week to walk, and are served by numerous rifugi (huts). The first and the most renowned is the Alta Via 1 . Radiocarbon dating has been used in the Alta Badia region to demonstrate a connection between landslide activity and climate change.[ 8]
Geography
The region is commonly divided into the Western and Eastern Dolomites, separated by a line following the Val Badia–Campolongo Pass–Cordevole Valley (Agordino) axis.
Current classification
The Dolomites may be divided into the following ranges:
Tourism and sports
Skiers in Cortina in 1903
The Western Dolomites in Gherdëina
Dolomites from the perspective of Soprabolzano in South Tyrol
The Dolomites from Seceda
The Dolomites from the perspective of St. Magdalena
The Dolomites from the perspective of Lake Carezza, Karersee
The Dolomites from the perspective of Kastelruth
The Dolomites are renowned for skiing in the winter months and mountain climbing , hiking, cycling and BASE jumping , as well as paragliding and hang gliding in summer and late spring/early autumn.[ 9] [ 10] Free climbing has been a tradition in the Dolomites since 1887, when 17-year-old Georg Winkler soloed the first ascent of the pinnacle of the Vajolet Towers .[ 11] The main centres include: Rocca Pietore alongside the Marmolada Glacier, which lies on the border of Trentino and Veneto, the small towns of Alleghe , Falcade , Auronzo , Cortina d'Ampezzo and the villages of Arabba , Urtijëi and San Martino di Castrozza , as well as the whole of the Fassa, Gardena and Badia valleys.[ 12]
The Maratona dles Dolomites , an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes of the Dolomites, occurs in the first week of July.
Other characteristic places are:
Major peaks
Tofana massif with Cortina d'Ampezzo in the foreground
Sella group
Vajolet Towers
Cristallo
Name
metres
feet
Name
metres
feet
Marmolada
3,343
10,968
Pala di San Martino
2,982
9,831
Antelao
3,264
10,706
Rosengartenspitze / Catinaccio
2,981
9,781
Tofana di Mezzo
3,241
10,633
Cima di Fradusta
2,941
9,715
Sorapiss
3,229
10,594
Cimon del Froppa
2,932
9,649
Cristallo
3,221
10,568
Monte Agnèr
2,872
9,416
Monte Civetta
3,220
10,564
Fermedaturm
2,867
9,407
Cima di Vezzana
3,192
10,470
Cima d'Asta
2,848
9,344
Cimon della Pala
3,184
10,453
Cima di Canali
2,846
9,338
Langkofel / Sassolungo
3,181
10,427
Croda Grande
2,839
9,315
Monte Pelmo
3,168
10,397
Vajoletturm / Torri del Vajolet (highest)
2,821
9,256
Dreischusterspitze
3,162
10,375
Sass Maor
2,816
9,239
Boespitze / Piz Boè (Sella group )
3,152
10,342
Cima di Ball
2,783
9,131
Hohe Gaisl (Croda Rossa d'Ampezzo)
3,148
10,329
Cima della Madonna (Sass Maor)
2,751
9,026
Gran Vernel [de ]
3,145
10,319
Cima della Rosetta
2,743
8,999
Piz Popena
3,143
10,312
Croda da Lago
2,716
8,911
Grohmannspitze (Langkofel )
3,126
10,256
Central Grasleitenspitze
2,705
8,875
Zwölferkofel
3,094
10,151
Schlern
2,562
8,406
Elferkofel
3,092
10,144
Sasso di Mur
2,554
8,380
Piz dles Cunturines
3,064
10,052
Monte Siera[ 13]
2,443
8,015
Sass Rigais (Geislerspitzen)
3,025
9,925
Cima delle Dodici
2,338
7,671
Kesselkogel (Rosengarten )
3,004
9,856
Monte Pavione
2,336
7,664
Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen)
2,999
9,839
Cima Palon
2,239
7,346
Fünffingerspitze
2,997
9,833
Cima di Posta
2,235
7,333
360° panoramic view from Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites
Major passes
Langkofel/Sassolungo
Falzarego Pass
Gardena Pass
Name
metres
feet
Ombretta Pass (Campitello to Caprile), footpath
2,738
8,983
Langkofeljoch (Gröden Valley to Campitello), footpath
2,683
8,803
Tschagerjoch (Karersee to the Vajolet Glen), footpath
2,644
8,675
Grasleiten Pass (Vajolet Glen to the Grasleiten Glen), footpath
2,597
8,521
Pravitale Pass (Rosetta Plateau to the Pravitale Glen), footpath
2,580
8,465
Comelle Pass (same to Cencenighe), footpath
2,579
8,462
Rosetta Pass (San Martino di Castrozza to the great limestone Rosetta plateau), footpath
2,573
8,442
Vajolet Pass (Tiers to the Vajolet Glen), footpath
2,549
8,363
Canali Pass (Primiero to Agordo), footpath
2,497
8,193
Tierseralpljoch (Campitello to Tiers), footpath
2,455
8,055
Ball Pass (San Martino di Castrozza to the Pravitale Glen), footpath
2,450
8,038
Forcella di Giralba (Sexten to Auronzo), footpath
2,436
7,992
Col dei Bos (Falzarego Glen to the Travernanzes Glen), footpath
2,313
7,589
Forcella Grande (San Vito to Auronzo), footpath
2,262
7,422
Pordoi Pass (Arabba to Val di Fassa), road
2,250
7,382
Sella Pass (Gröden Valley to Val di Fassa), road
2,244
7,362
Giau Pass (Cortina to Val Fiorentina), road
2,236
7,336
Tre Sassi Pass (Cortina to St Cassian), footpath
2,199
7,215
Valparola Pass (Cortina to St Cassian), road
2,168
7,113
Mahlknechtjoch (Upper Duron Glen to the Seiser Alp), footpath
2,168
7,113
Gardena Pass (Gröden Valley to Colfuschg), road
2,121
6,959
Falzarego Pass (Caprile to Cortina ), road
2,117
6,946
Fedaja Pass (Val di Fassa to Caprile), bridle path
2,046
6,713
Valles Pass (Paneveggio to Falcade), road
2,032
6,667
Würzjoch (Eisacktal to Val Badia), road
2,003
6,572
Rolle Pass (Predazzo to San Martino di Castrozza and Primiero), road
1,984
6,509
Forcella Forada (Caprile to San Vito), bridle path
1,975
6,480
San Pellegrino Pass (Moena to Cencenighe), road
1,910
6,267
Campolongo Pass (Corvara to Arabba ), road
1,875
6,152
Forcella d'Alleghe (Alleghe to the Zoldo Glen), footpath
1,820
5,971
Tre Croci Pass (Cortina to Auronzo), road
1,808
5,932
Furkel Pass (Mareo to Olang ), road
1,759
5,771
Karerpass or Costalunga Pass (Welschnofen to Vigo di Fassa ), road
1,753
5,751
Kreuzbergpass or Monte Croce Pass (Innichen and Sexten to the Piave Valley and Belluno), road
1,638
5,374
Ampezzo Pass (Toblach to Cortina and Belluno), path
1,544
5,066
Cereda Pass (Primiero to Agordo), road
1,372
4,501
Toblach Pass (Bruneck to Lienz ), railway
1,209
3,967
Major parks
Horses on pasture at Parco Naturale Tre Cime , South Tyrol. Cadini di Misurina in the background
See also
References
^ Ladin : Dolomites ; German : Dolomiten [doloˈmiːtn̩] ⓘ ("Dolomiten" in Langenscheidt German-English Dictionary); Venetian : Dołomiti [doɰoˈmiti] : Friulian : Dolomitis
^ "Dolomiti, le montagne rosa" . italia.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2020-07-02 .
^ "The Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site" . Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage (in English, German, and Italian). Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "The Dolomites" . UNESCO (in English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, and Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "Adamello-Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark" . Retrieved 17 January 2023 .
^ Saussure le fils, M. de (1792): "Analyse de la dolomite". Journal de Physique , vol. 40, pp. 161–173.
^ Die Besteigung der Berge - Die Dolomitgipfel werden erobert (German: The ascent of the mountains - the dolomite peaks are conquered)
^ Borgatti, Lisa; Soldati, Mauro (2010-08-01). "Landslides as a geomorphological proxy for climate change: A record from the Dolomites (northern Italy)". Geomorphology . Landslide geomorphology in a changing environment. 120 (1–2): 56–64. Bibcode :2010Geomo.120...56B . doi :10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.09.015 .
^ Draper, Robert (2015-08-16). "In Italy, Hiking and Haute Cuisine in the Dolomites - The New York Times" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ Williams, Ingrid K. (2018-08-30). "36 Hours in the Dolomites" . The New York Times . Retrieved 2020-04-18 .
^ Huber, Alex. "The Perfect Perfume" . Rock and Ice Magazine . Archived from the original on 2008-02-15.
^ Koch, Amy Tara (25 November 2019). "Hut Skiing in the Dolomites: Storybook Scenery and Grappa Included - The New York Times" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "Monte Siera" .
Bibliography
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Dolomites, The ". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 394.
Provincia di Belluno, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige Autonome Provinz Bozen-Südtirol, Provincia di Pordenone, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Provincia di Udine, Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 2008. Nomination of the Dolomites for inscription on the World Natural Heritage List UNESCO. Nomination Document. 363 pp. https://web.archive.org/web/20131225070444/http://fondazionedolomitiunesco.org/documentazione-2/01_DOLOMITES_nomination_document_jan2008_1236608233_1294933181.pdf
Bainbridge, William (2020). Topographic Memory and Victorian Travellers in the Dolomite Mountains . Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-94-6298-761-6 .
"HD Pictures of the main areas of the Dolomites" . Bruno Mandolesi.
"360 degree panorama Dolomites" . SiMedia Srl. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2010 .
Roger. "Walks and Via Ferrata in the Dolomites" . CommunityWalk.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2010 .
"Strada delle 52 Gallerie" . Eclectica .
"Monte Piana in the Dolomites" . Eclectica . August 21, 2006.
"Via Ferrata Lagazuoi Tunnels" . Eclectica . August 9, 2006.
"Up to the Turquoise Lake" . Eclectica . August 1, 2006.
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