Sita is begging me to make another stop over in Italy ....she wants to see the Dolomites......
The Dolomites, a section of the Alps, located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy).
Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east.
The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana).
Why do you want to see the Dolomites Sita?
It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere,with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys.
A serial property of nine areas that present a diversity of spectacular landscapes of international significance for geomorphology marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, the site also contains glacial landforms and karst systems.
It is characterized by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches. The property also features one of the best examples of the preservation of Mesozoic carbonate platform systems, with fossil records.
Okay, let's go on a hike
The Dolomites, a section of the Alps, located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy).
Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east.
The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana).
Why do you want to see the Dolomites Sita?
It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere,with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys.
A serial property of nine areas that present a diversity of spectacular landscapes of international significance for geomorphology marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, the site also contains glacial landforms and karst systems.
It is characterized by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches. The property also features one of the best examples of the preservation of Mesozoic carbonate platform systems, with fossil records.
Okay, let's go on a hike
The range and its characteristic rock take their name from the 18th-century French geologist Dieudonné Dolomieu, who made the first scientific study of the region and its geology. Geologically, the mountains are formed of light-coloured dolomitic limestone, which erosion has carved into grotesque shapes. Formed 200millions years ago out of the primeval ocean, today they reach 3,000 metres into the sky.
I want to touch this rock....oh, my word, a salty powder comes off the fingers, a reminder that the Dolomites originated aeons ago as coral reefs under the sea!
These landforms include jagged, saw-edged ridges, rocky pinnacles, screes (pebble deposits) of limestone debris, deep gorges, and numerous steep rock faces at relatively low levels.
Glaciated features occur at higher levels; many glaciers lie in the region. Many of the lower and more gentle scree slopes were once forested; only patches of woodland remain,however, interspersed with grassy meadows.
These landforms include jagged, saw-edged ridges, rocky pinnacles, screes (pebble deposits) of limestone debris, deep gorges, and numerous steep rock faces at relatively low levels.
Glaciated features occur at higher levels; many glaciers lie in the region. Many of the lower and more gentle scree slopes were once forested; only patches of woodland remain,however, interspersed with grassy meadows.
| Name | metres | feet | Name | metres | feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marmolada | 3344 | 10,972 | Pale di San Martino | 2996 | 9831 |
| Antelao | 3264 | 10,706 | Rose ngartenspitze / Catinaccio | 2981 | 9781 |
| Tofana di Mezzo | 3241 | 10,633 | Marmarole | 2961 | 9715 |
| Punta Sorapis | 3229 | 10,594 | Cima di Fradusta | 2941 | 9649 |
| Monte Civetta | 3220 | 10,564 | Monte Agner | 2872 | 9416 |
| Vernel | 3145 | 10,319 | Fermedaturm | 2867 | 9407 |
| Cristallo | 3221 | Cima d'Asta | 2848 | 9344 | |
| Cima di Vezzana | 3192 | 10,470 | Cima di Canali | 2846 | 9338 |
| Cimon della Pala | 3184 | 10,453 | Croda Grande | 2839 | 9315 |
| Langkofel / Sassolungo | 3181 | 10,427 | Vajoletturm / Torri del Vajolet (highest) | 2821 | 9256 |
| Pelmo | 3169 | 10,397 | Sass Maor | 2816 | 9239 |
| Dreischusterspitze | 3162 | 10,375 | Cima di Ball | 2783 | 9131 |
| Boespitze / Piz Boè (Sella group) | 3152 | 10,342 | Cima della Madonna (Sass Maor) | 2751 | 9026 |
| Croda Rossa (Hohe Gaisl) | 3148 | 10,329 | Rosetta | 2741 | 8993 |
| Piz Popena | 3143 | 10,312 | Croda da Lago | 2716 | 8911 |
| Elferkofel | 3115 | 10,220 | Central Grasleitenspitze | 2705 | 8875 |
| Grohmannspitze (Langkofel) | 3111 | 10,207 | Schlern | 2562 | 8406 |
| Zwölferkofel | 3091 | 10,142 | Sasso di Mur | 2554 | 8380 |
| Sass Rigais (Geislerspitzen) | 3027 | 9932 | Cima delle Dodici | 2338 | 7671 |
| Tre Cime di Lavaredo | 3003 | 9853 | Monte Pavione | 2336 | 7664 |
| Kesselkogel (Rosengarten) | 3001 | 9846 | Cima di Posta | 2235 | 7333 |
| Fünffingerspitze | 2997 | 9833 | Monte Pasubio | 2232 | 7323 |
The Dolomites are celebrated not for their height but for their grotesque yet beautiful forms. In the setting sun they glow red, mauve and purple in the darkening sky........
Compared to other mountains we have seen these seem brighter, more colorful, more monumental, and they certainly seem to be architecturally inspired.
Durban Time
