Dolomites: Pale rock towers and sheer walls – a World Heritage site in nine parts

Few mountain ranges have shaped the image of the Alps as much as the Dolomites in northern Italy – a DW Documentary film shows the region in summer. UNESCO added the Dolomites to its list of natural World Heritage sites on June 26, 2009, and describes them as among the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere: vertical walls, sheer cliffs and many narrow, deep and long valleys. The site consists of nine components totaling 141,902.8 hectares, including the Marmolada, the Brenta Dolomites, Puez-Odle and the Bletterbach gorge. Eighteen peaks rise above 3,000 meters.

The Dolomites were recognized for their beauty and their geology. Some rock walls rise more than 1,500 meters, according to UNESCO, and are among the highest limestone walls in the world; the contrast between pale rock, forests and meadows creates the characteristic variety of colors. At the same time, the mountains are fossilized atolls from the Mesozoic era: they show how marine life recovered in the Triassic after the greatest known mass extinction in Earth's history. The highest point, according to Wikipedia, is Punta Penia on the Marmolada at 3,343 meters; the Marmolada glacier is the only remaining larger glacier in the Dolomites.

Tourism is the region's biggest economic factor, according to Wikipedia – all year round. Ten numbered high routes, the "alte vie," each take about a week to cross the range and are served by numerous mountain huts; the front line ran through here in World War I, as via ferrata routes and open-air museums recall, according to Wikipedia. UNESCO urges that the site be protected from tourism pressure and new infrastructure. The Dolomiti UNESCO Foundation, based in Cortina d'Ampezzo, coordinates the provinces involved and runs campaigns for caution and responsible mountaineering.