The Dolomites (map), also known as the Dolomite Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy in the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige / Südtirol and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites. In August 2009, the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A number of long-distance footpaths traverse the Dolomites. They are called alte vie, 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 (OpenStreetMap).

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The main centres include: Rocca Pietore (map) alongside the Marmolada Glacier (map), 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, Val Gardena and Val Badia valleys.

• dolomitetreks.com – Girls guides. Lightweight hiking trails.
• Alta Badia – tourism website of the region.
• guidedolomiti.com – phone numbers of mountain shelters in the Dolomites.
• Club Alpino Italiano – large base of mountain shelters (Rifugi e Bivacchi).
• Inside.bz.it – all events and activities in South Tyrol.

South Tyrol

Together with Trentino, it composes the northernmost Italian autonomous administrative region of Trentino – South Tyrol (map).

Bolzano (Bozen, map) – the capital and the largest city of South Tyrol with culture, business, shopping and nature. Brixen (Bressanone, map) – until 1803 capital of the Bishopric of Brixen; one of the most culturally interesting towns in former Tyrol.

*Kastelruth (Castelrotto, map) – a small town about 20 km to the northeast of Bolzano. It serves as a nice base camp for exploring the adjacent Seiser Alm (Alpi Di Siusi, wikivoyage) – the largest meadow in the alps, with lots of hiking, and climbing trails

Klausen (Chiusa, map) – picturesque town of artists between Bolzano and Brixen; also included in the list of “most beautiful Italian small towns”.(about thirty kilometers north of Bolzano).

St. Ulrich in Gröden (Ortisei, map) – Alpine town that looks like a village out of a fairy tale, with skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. Buses operated by SAD run from Bolzano, Brixen, Klausen, and Waidbruck. Information in English is available here.

If you are walking in the mountains, it is common to greet the people you meet.

Trenitalia – Your best friend while traveling in Italy.

The best ways to get here – South Tyrol (suedtirol.info)

Buses reach places that trains can’t. South Tyrol has excellent bus connections inside the country with a very efficient transport system. Traveling by bus is not expensive and permit to go up to the most isolated village on the mountains. The major regional hub is at Bolzano bus station.

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BUS: Abruzzo ⇒ Arpa / Apulia e Basilicata ⇒ Marino / Calabria ⇒ Saj / Lombardy ⇒ Autostradale S.p.A. / Tuscany ⇒ Sena / Sicily ⇒ Sais. + More: Flixbus • EuroLines • Busabout Adventure Coach Travel Europe • Europe by Bus • Buses on the Web.

TRAIN: Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori • Trenitalia + International Rail • RailEurope.

AIRPORT: Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport • Ciampino Airport • Milan Malpensa Airport • Linate Airport • Orio al Serio Airport.

FERRY: Grimaldi Lines • Gnv Grandi Navi Veloci • Moby Line • Snav • Emilia Romagna Lines • Saremar.

The Dolomites: Rugged stone towers and rock faces that contrast with the gently rolling Alpine pastures. Rooted in place as if they had always existed, they have instead actually made a long, eventful journey, enduring quite a bit on their way to being described by extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner as “the world’s most beautiful mountains.”

Have you ever wondered how this striking mountain range was formed? Between the Bletterbachschlucht gorge near Aldino/Aldein and Sesto/Sexten in Hochpustertal valley along the new Dolomites UNESCO Geotrail long-distance hiking trail, you can now journey back in time to get to know the unique history of the Dolomites’ origins. The Dolomites have been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. What makes them so special? Their rugged beauty certainly doesn’t hurt, but above all, the unique geology and geomorphology of this famous mountain chain play a role. It all began 280 million years ago near the equator, where there were volcanic eruptions, a tropical atmosphere and ice ages. Today, these moving mountains still refuse to stand still!

⇒ video source: Südtirol | Alto Adige | South Tyrol / youtube.com /

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