PARCO NAZIONALE DOLOMITI BELLUNESI

Created in 1993 to preserve an exceptional natural environment, the park covers 32,000 hectares. With its low population density and wild landscapes, it offers excellent hiking, biking and horse-riding opportunities. Its flora, rich in rare plants, already fascinated 18th-century scientists. Chamois, roe deer, butterflies and over 114 species of birds inhabit these unique surroundings. Since 2009, part of the park, covering 31,666 hectares, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area encompasses the Pale di San Martino, San Lucano and Vette Feltrine mountains, and is one of only four classified areas in the Venetian Dolomites.

The park is a must for nature lovers. Documentation, often available in French, is packed with information on its biodiversity, hiking itineraries (including a number of themed trails) and the historical treasures buried there since prehistoric times. There are also details of local cultural festivities and a handy weather service. This is a place where nature and history come together, inviting you to escape.

Wildlife. Golden eagles, chamois, marmots and, more recently, bears and lynx, all live in the National Park to our great delight. The meadows, especially in spring, are frequented by roe deer and mouflon sheep. The rivers and streams are commonly inhabited by wagtails, dippers and toads, hundreds of which reach the lake from the surrounding wooded banks.

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

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

Here are a few themed trails:

- I Cadini del Brenton" (erosion potholes in the Val del Mis), 30 min walk, distance: 1 km, difference in altitude: 50 m.
- "I Circhi delle Vette" (geological/geomorphological itinerary through the Buse delle Vette), 5h30 walk, 7 km, difference in altitude: 400 m.

- The "Little churches at the foot of the mountains of the holy warriors and healers" trail, approx. 4 hrs walk, 110 km, elevation gain: 4,200 m (in 13 stages).

- The Forgotten Mountain" (military route and ancient miners' paths), 36 hrs 30 mins walk, 39 km, elevation gain: 2,250 m (in 6 stages).

Trekking Alta Via n° 1. The "Haute Route des 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 no. 2, which runs from Brixen to Feltre and presents a number of difficulties, the Alta Via no. 1 doesn't require any experience to reveal its secrets. Between Lake Braies in Trentino and Belluno in Veneto, you'll stay at altitude, between 1,250 and 1,750 meters, and sleep in bivouacs or refuges (book in advance in summer!). You'll feel far away from it all, crossing paved roads only four times. It's a reassuring but completely different itinerary! For further information: contact the Belluno tourist office, who can send you a topo-guide and detailed map: www.infodolomiti.it

Val di Canzoi hike. Duration: approx. 4 hours. Distance: 8.5 km. Between Feltre and Belluno, go as far as Soranzén, then Val Canzoi and follow the valley as far as Preton (parking area). This is a simple circuit around Lake della Stua, in the middle of one of the park's most famous valleys. The route of the nature trail is characterized by outcrops of the main Dolomite and by clear traces of the action of rivers, Quaternary glaciers and karstic phenomena. Several small, continuously evolving side valleys have formed above numerous faults. The vegetation is highly varied: hop hornbeam and beech forests at the foot of the mountains, Scots pine on the drier slopes, meadows, rocky outcrops and scree corridors colonized by pioneer plants. There are 10 information panels along the way, illustrating the main geological, flora and fauna aspects of the protected area.

Monte Serva hike (4-hour walk, 500 m ascent). From the Col de Roanza (860 m), continue up to 1,035 m. From the bottom station of a cable car, follow a mule track up along the bottom of the Boca del Rosp valley, leaving it to the right towards the Cavalin pass (1,394 m). The trail heads first northeast and then north, to reach the welcoming Casera Pian dei Fioc cheese dairy (1,739 m). From the dairy, 1 hour is all it takes to reach the summit of Monte Serva, from where there are splendid panoramic views of the dolomitic peaks and Val Belluna.

5 torri hike - Monte Civetta - Massif de la Schiara - Belluno. Leaving the romantic Lago di Braies, the Haute Route climbs the Sennes altiplano, then reaches the realm of the majestic Tofane, near Cortina d'Ampezzo, via the only difficult point on the route for casual walkers, the Forcella del Lago. We pass Mount Nuvolau, which bears on its flanks the Cinque Torri so beloved by climbers, then not far from the Croda da Lago massif (view of Cortina d'Ampezzo). We skirt Pelmo, with its small glacier, then the Civetta cliff, an immense organ buffet 7 km long and 1,300 m high. At the foot of this wall, the Tissi hut stands at the top of a mountain, overlooking the Val Cordevole from a sheer drop of 1,300 m, and the lago di Alleghe, itself dominated by the Civetta, the "wall of walls" rising 1,200 m above its scree slopes. We continue to follow the foot of the Civetta, which forms two gigantic cirques to the south, bordered by two high towers, Torre Venezia and Torre Trieste, where roped parties of climbers are busy. At the foot of these cirques, the Vazzoler refuge, "una specie di piccola Mecca dell'alpinismo", as the Italian guidebook describes it, is a wonderful place with its botanical garden and walls that turn pink at sunset. We then skirt the grandiose vertical wall of the Moiazze and the San Sebastiano Tàmer massif, and climb almost to the summit of the Citta peak, with a difficult passage. On the other side of the pass, the wild Schiara massif can be seen in the distance. We return to the Bianchet hut, where simple walkers will leave the Haute Route, as it then includes a long, exposed descent on a via ferrata into 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.

Helpful hints: the ideal time to visit the park is from June to the end of September, when the vegetation reveals its most beautiful colors. Beware, however: refuges close progressively from September 20. For mid-mountain hikes, standard equipment is generally sufficient. Vias ferratas, on the other hand, require special equipment, and beginners need to be accompanied. Beware of the vagaries of the weather: thunderstorms and storms can make conditions difficult. Make sure you get all the information you need before setting off!