The Dolomites, from Friuli to Alto Adige
Their territory covers 141,000 hectares, straddling three Italian regions (Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) and five provinces (Trento, Bolzano, Belluno, Pordenone and Udine). The Dolomites are thus Friulian between Pordenone and Udine, crossing regional natural parks that take their names and others that of the Alps. Even the Dolomites natural park is plural: Friuli, Sesto, Belluno... It all depends on where you approach it! In the Friulian Dolomites, the main town is Belluno, the town of the famous writer Dino Buzzati; but there is also Cortina d'Ampezzo, a famous tourist resort, and Pieve di Cadore, birthplace of the great painter Tiziano Vecellio. On the Italian side of the Tyrol, Bolzano and Trento are the main cities. The Dolomites' main road, from Bolzano to Cortina d'Ampezzo, runs for more than 100 km through magnificent landscapes. Its serene landscapes are famous all over the world. The white mountains that turn red and pink at sunset give the region an unrivalled charm. They are mainly characterized by very wide valleys covered with pastures or woods, surrounded by high and jagged mountains. You will discover well-kept villages with balconies full of flowers, of which you can often only see the church tower. Winter version with ski areas, summer version with hiking and mountain bike trails, and even a road version to pass the passes without running out of breath.
The 9 sites of the Dolomites classified by Unesco
The Dolomites have 9 mountain massifs classified as Unesco World Heritage Sites for their characteristic beauty.
In the Dolomites of Friuli and Oltre Piave: 21,461 hectares of the Dolomites of Friuli National Park are classified. The small villages of Forni di Sopra, Erto and Cimolais are excellent bases for exploration.
In the Veneto Dolomites : 31,666 hectares of the Dolomites Belluneses, Pale di San Martino, San Lucano and Vette Feltrine National Park form the first area, very close to Belluno, the capital of the province. 53,586 hectares of the Northern Dolomites represent the largest protected area, all to the north of the province on the Austrian border towards San Vito and Sesto, but also around Cortina d'Ampezzo (including the Ampezzo Natural Park). It includes parts of the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park (25,000 ha), the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Nature Park around the eponymous massif, Monte Cristallo and many others. About 4,344 hectares bounded by the Pelmo, Croda dal Lago above the Val di Cadore, and 2,208 hectares corresponding to the circumference of the massif's peak, the Marmolada, which rises to 3,342 metres.
In the Dolomites of Trentino Alto Adige. 11,135 hectares make up the Brenta Dolomites, the westernmost, close to Trento, the large city on the plain. They are so far removed from the other areas of the massif that they are totally different in landscape and geology. 9,302 hectares cover the area of Sciliar, Cattinaccio/Schlen Rosengarten and Latemar very close to Bolzano, the capital of the Italian South Tyrol. 7,930 hectares protected in the nature reserves of Puez Odle and Puez Geisler constitute the most Tyrolean and exotic area of the Dolomites of Trentino-Alto Adige. 271 hectares around the Brettenbach peak are also protected south of Bolzano.
A very particular geology
The Dolomites owe their name to a French geologist of the late 18th century, Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, who discovered their mystery in 1788 and defined them as white sedimentary rocks made of carbonate, calcium and magnesium. Their tears are the result of climatic upheavals over the centuries. The rock has an interesting feature: it is of marine origin. At the beginning, the splendid Dolomites were a huge coral massif. The weather has worn away the brittle parts of the rock, cutting out needles and ledges. At the foot of these mountains, the characteristic scree bears witness to the intensity of the erosion. The Dolomites have 18 peaks over 3,000 metres in height. The western massifs Latemar, Catinaccio, Sella, Sassolundo, the famous "Queen of the Dolomites" Marmolada and the Pale di San Martino contrast with the eastern massifs: the Tofanes, Cristallo, Lavadero and Civetta.
Like stone skyscrapers, gigantic crystals of carbonate point to the sky in colossal dimensions, forming sharp and vertiginous peaks (cliffs, pinnacles, peaks, needles, towers, teeth), vertical walls, rocks, and sometimes remarkable geometric reliefs (prism, cones, etc.). At their feet, plateaus, valleys, hills and forests contrast by their horizontality. The Dolomites also concentrate a multitude of small glaciers and eternal snows at a relatively low altitude, cliffs from 600 to 1,600 metres high that are among the highest limestone walls in the world, but also deep canyons from 500 to 1,500 metres deep.Milan and the great lakes
Lombardy is a geographical region with well-defined boundaries, bordering Switzerland to the north, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige to the east, Emilia-Romagna to the south and Piedmont to the west. It is bounded by the Alps to the north, the Po River to the south, Ticino and Lake Maggiore to the west, the Mincio River and Lake Garda to the east. This region, which covers 23,857 km2, has a gentle and rather varied landscape, ranging from the most rugged mountains to the most fertile plains. It is divided into three main geographical areas: the Alpine area, with the Alps to the north, intersected by valleys with ancient communication routes towards Switzerland; the pre-alpine area with its large lakes: Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda (the largest in Italy); and finally, the Padana plain with its castles, rice fields and the Po River (the longest and most important river in Italy) which marks its southern limit. One of the richest, most developed and most populated regions in Italy, Lombardy is therefore one of the most surprising and unexpected for tourists, who sometimes venture there without knowing its historical, monumental, artistic and natural heritage. Amazing natural landscapes (large lakes, Stelvio Park) abound in this region. The first physical element that makes up the Lombardy territory is the presence of the Padana plain, divided into the upper and lower plains (Alta e Bassa Pianura Padana). Particularly dry and arid in its upper part, much more fertile and therefore exploited for agricultural purposes in its lower part, the Padana plain also presents a great morphological variety thanks to the action of alluvial deposits: its terrain is in fact made up of minerals, such as calcite and dolomite. In this guide we are interested in Lake Garda, the Venetian hinterland in the continuation of the Lombardy lakes region. Lake Garda is a Mediterranean oasis that extends to the last foothills of the Alps (Brenta and Adamello) and straddles the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige. Of glacial origin, its total surface area is 370 km2, and its microclimate favours a Mediterranean type of vegetation (olive trees, oleanders, oleanders) which has earned the Veronese coast the name of Riviera of the Olive Trees.
The arc of the Italian Alps
Narrow and high on the Piedmont side, it has many impressive peaks over 4,000 m in altitude: Mount Blanc at 4,807 m, Mount Rosa at 4,638 m, the Matterhorn at 4,478 m and the Gran Paradiso at 4,061 m. The Italian Alps have valleys of glacial origin, such as the Aosta Valley and the Adige Valley, which form major communication routes. Their dense hydrographic network, to which are added numerous glaciers, makes them the first water reservoir of the peninsula and in particular of the Po plain. They are populated by some 3 million inhabitants.
The Aosta Valley, the most vertical
One could almost say that it is a vertical region, not only in the physical sense because of the high peaks that surround it (among them Mount Blanc), but also for the surprising concentration, in a region of such small dimensions, of so many natural splendours. The natural phenomena of this region are grandiose: from the imposing peaks of Mont Blanc to the fascinating ruggedness of the Matterhorn, from the spectacular Monte Rosa (which owes its name to the colour of its large glaciers at sunset) to the Grand Paradis, the high mountain at the centre of the vast natural park of the same name. More than a fifth of the territory of Valle d'Aosta is classified as a reserve for the protection of flora and fauna: Grand-Paradis National Park (35,000 ha), Mount Avic Regional Park (3,500 ha), 8 nature reserves, 4 alpine gardens. And with 210 glaciers, 500 torrents, 400 lakes..., the discoveries are endless. The tourist centres and ski resorts of the Aosta Valley have an ancient tradition and a solid reputation: the best known are Courmayeur and Breuil-Cervinia.
Piedmont, around Turin
Piedmont, located in the northwest of Italy, shares borders with France to the west and Switzerland to the north: it is the largest region in Italy after Sicily. 40% of the territory is covered by the Alps, 30% by the hills of Montferrat, Langhe and Roero, and the remaining 30% is plain. In the north, Piedmont shares with Lombardy the region of lakes: Lake Orta, a true romantic jewel, and Lake Maggiore. Turin, the capital of Piedmont, has the reputation of being a magical city. It is the capital of Italian industry (the Fiat factory is located here) and one of the main tourist centres in Italy. Other civil and religious testimonies of the past, such as fortresses, basilicas, convents, are also innumerable in the rest of Piedmont, in the cities and provinces of Novara, Verceil, Cuneo, Alexandria and Asti. The natural landscapes are splendid and varied: mountains, valleys, hills (the Langhe are known for having been the setting for many stories by Cesare Pavese and Beppe Fenoglio, famous Piedmontese writers), lakes (Maggiore, Orta, Viverone) and the Valgrande National Park. The gastronomic and wine tradition is rich and prestigious (some great Italian wines are Piedmontese).
