The world-famous Dolomites

The Dolomites came into existence some 200 million years ago, as a huge coral reef in the primordial sea. Today, these limestone rocks stretch up to 3,000 metres into the sky. But it’s not just the geology and history of these UNESCO World Heritage mountains that’s impressive. When you see them for yourself you’ll understand why we’re so fond of our mountains.

Landscapes worth protecting

Stunning, colourful landscapes as far as the eye can see. Steep rock faces, impressive pale peaks and rolling hills across the picture-perfect valleys. Dolomiti Supersummer visitors have all this and more to look forward to. The stunning natural beauty has been attracting travellers, inspiring artists, and paved the way for scientists to make new discoveries.
By the way: the nine sections of the World Heritage Site are spread across five Italian provinces. The UNESCO Dolomites Foundation coordinates work across them all.

The Dolomites and science

Where does the name of the Dolomites come from? The mountains are named after French geologist Déodat de Dolomieu (1750–1801). He was the first to carry out a chemical analysis of the mountain’s rocks. 

Since then scientists have made all sorts of interesting discoveries in these mountains, and even UNESCO knows how significant these mountains are when it comes to geology, not least because of the huge variety of limestone found in such a small area.