The Dolomites: UNESCO World Natural Heritage

The Latemar, Rosengarten/Catinaccio and the Bletterbach are now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage and only a few minutes from Nova Ponente, Ega, Obereggen and Monte San Pietro. It is a wonderful area and moreover a popular hiking destination.

Born as coral reefs 250 million years ago, today they soar skywards proud and confident as white towers of rock. Formation: The Dolomites are part of the Southern Alps and are striking because of their unique pale Dolomite rock. Geographically they straddle the borders of three Italian provinces: South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno.

The nine components of The Dolomites World Heritage property protect a series of highly distinctive mountain landscapes that are of exceptional natural beauty. Their dramatic vertical and pale coloured peaks in a variety of distinctive sculptural forms is extraordinary in a global context. This property also contains an internationally important combination of earth science values. The quantity and concentration of highly varied limestone formations is extraordinary in a global context, whilst the superbly exposed geology provides an insight into the recovery of marine life in the Triassic period, after the greatest extinction event recorded in the history of life on Earth. The sublime, monumental and colourful landscapes of the Dolomites have also long attracted hosts of travellers and a history of scientific and artistic interpretations of its values.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1237/