PARCO NAZIONALE DOLOMITI BELLUNESI

Created in 1993 to safeguard an exceptional natural environment, the park covers an area of 32,000 hectares. Wild and benefiting from a very low population density, the park gives the opportunity to make interesting hikes, bike rides and even horseback riding. Its flora, rich in rare plants, had already attracted the attention of scientists in the 18th century. Chamois, roe deer, butterflies and more than 114 species of birds currently inhabit this unique landscape. Since 2009, an area of the Dolomites Belluneses National Park has been classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site, exactly 31,666 hectares. The mountains of Pale di San Martino, San Lucano and Vette Feltrine form the first area of the four classified in the Dolomites of Veneto, near Belluno. This park is a must-see and the documentation is often available in French. A lot of information is waiting for you, about biodiversity, cultural festivities and hiking itineraries (long hikes, thematic trails), but also about treasures buried since prehistoric times (as well as a weather report). All this invites you to travel.

On the wildlife side. The golden eagle, the chamois, the marmot and more recently the bear and the lynx populate the territory of the national park to our great delight. The meadows, especially in spring, are frequented by roe deer and mouflon. The rivers and streams are commonly populated by the wagtail, the dipper and the toads that, by the hundreds, reach the lake from the surrounding wooded banks.

On the flora side. Botany lovers can go in search of the Campanula morettiana, which has become the symbol of the park, or the very recent Alchemilla lasenii (dedicated to the person who picked it, the first president of the park: Cesare Lasen). Several rare or particularly endemic plants can be admired, such as Silene veselskyi, Asplenium seelosii, Rumex lunaria, the yellow lily, Adenophora liliifolia, or the black vervet. The latifolia forests are home to many species of passerines.

Hikes with downloadable trails and interactive maps online. You can also go to the park office in Belluno.

Some of the themed trails include:

- "I Cadini del Brenton" (erosion potholes in the Val del Mis), 30 min walk, distance: 1 km, elevation gain: 50 m.
- I Circhi delle Vette" (geological/geomorphological itinerary through the Buse delle Vette), 5.5 hours walk, 7 km, elevation gain: 400 m.

- The path of the "Small churches at the foot of the mountains of the holy warriors and healers", about 4 hours walk, 110 km, elevation gain: 4,200 m (in 13 stages).

- The Forgotten Mountain" (military route and ancient mining roads), 36.5 hours walking, 39 km, altitude difference: 2,250 m (in 6 stages).

Trekking Alta Via n° 1. The "High Route of the Dolomites" crosses the Pink Mountains from north to south for 100 kilometers, offering hikers one to two weeks of roaming and the opportunity to discover some of the most grandiose sites. Unlike the Alta Via 2, which runs from Brixen to Feltre and presents several difficulties, the Alta Via 1 does not require any experience to reveal its secrets. Between the lake of Braies in Trentino and Belluno in Veneto, you will stay at altitude, between 1,250 and 1,750 meters, and sleep in bivouacs or in refuges (to be booked in advance in summer!). You will feel far from everything, crossing only four times paved roads. A reassuring but completely different itinerary! For more information: contact the tourist office of Belluno, which can send you a topo-guide and a detailed map: www. infodolomiti.it

Hiking Val di Canzoi. Duration: about 4 hours. Distance: 8,5 km. Between Feltre and Belluno, go to Soranzén, then Val Canzoi and walk through the valley to Preton (parking area). It is a simple circuit around Lake della Stua, in the middle part of one of the most famous valleys of the park. The route of the nature trail is characterized by the outcrops of the main Dolomite and by the evident traces of the action of the rivers, the quaternary glaciers and the karstic phenomena. Several small, continuously evolving side valleys have been formed over numerous faults. The vegetation is very varied: hornbeam and beech forests at the foot of the mountains, Scots pines on the drier slopes, meadows, rocky outcrops and scree corridors colonized by pioneer plants. Along the route there are 10 informative panels that illustrate the main geological, floristic and faunistic aspects of the protected area.

Monte Serva hike (4 hours of walking, 500 m of ascent). From the Roanza pass (860 m), continue up to 1,035 m. From the lower station of a cable car, follow a mule track that climbs along the bottom of the Boca del Rosp valley, leaving it to the right towards the Cavalin pass (1,394 m). The path heads first northeast and then north to reach the Casera Pian dei Fioc cheese factory (1,739 m), which is always welcoming. From the cheese factory, in one hour, it is easy to reach the top of Mount Serva, from where there is a splendid view of the dolomitic peaks and the Belluna Valley.

The 5 torri hike - Monte Civetta - Massif della Schiara - Belluno. Leaving the romantic Lago di Braies, the Haute Route climbs the Sennes altiplano, then reaches the majestic Tofane kingdom, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, passing through the only difficult point of the route for simple walkers, the Forcella del Lago. We pass the Nuvolau mountain, which has the Cinque Torri on its flanks, so dear to climbers, and then not far from the Croda da Lago massif (view on Cortina d'Ampezzo). We go along Pelmo, and its small glacier, then the cliff of the Civetta, immense organ buffet of 7 km long and 1 300 m high. At the foot of this wall, the Tissi refuge is located at the top of a mountain, overlooking the Val Cordevole from a 1,300 m drop, and the Alleghe lake, itself dominated by the Civetta, the "wall of walls" that rises 1,200 m above its scree slopes. We continue to follow the foot of the Civetta, which forms, to the south, two gigantic circuses bounded by two high towers, the Torre Venezia and the Torre Trieste, where ropes of climbers are busy. At the foot of these circuses, the Vazzoler refuge, "a kind of Mecca of alpinism", as the Italian guidebook describes it, is a wonderful place with its botanical garden and its walls turning pink at sunset. We then go along the grandiose vertical wall of the Moiazze and the massif of San Sebastiano Tàmer, and then we climb almost to the top of the Citta peak, with a difficult passage. On the other side of the pass the wild Schiara massif appears in the distance. We go back down to the Bianchet refuge where the simple walkers will leave the High Route because, afterwards, it necessarily includes a long descent exposed to the void, on a via ferrata, in the Schiara massif. The return to Belluno, the end of the Haute Route, is made by descending from the Bianchet refuge along the forest road of the beautiful Val Vescovà, to catch a bus to Belluno at La Muda.

Tips: The best time to go is from June to the end of September, because of the color of the vegetation. But be careful, the refuges close progressively from September 20. Traditional mid-mountain hiking equipment is usually sufficient. If, however, you plan to take the vias ferratas, specific equipment and a guide for beginners are required. It is also important to know that storms and thunderstorms can worsen the conditions of the hike. Therefore, be sure to get all the information you need before you leave.