What ARE the Dolomites?
This question might seem simple, but it actually has many fascinating answers. The Dolomites are a unique and expansive region that many visitors might not fully understand. Through this post, I hope to share some insights and help everyone appreciate the beauty and significance of the Dolomites a little more.
A rock type
The name “Dolomite” comes from the predominant type of rock found in the area. This rock, primarily composed of the mineral calcium magnesium carbonate, was first described in the late 1700s by the naturalist and geologist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, after whom it is named. While dolomite rock occurs naturally in many places, it was first observed in the Tyrolean Alps.
The formation of these minerals is quite specific, requiring a slow reaction at particular temperatures and the presence of sulfate salts. In this process, calcium ions in calcium carbonate are replaced by magnesium, altering the rock. These conditions are typically found in warm, shallow seas, meaning that the stunning mountains you see today were once ancient coral reef structures.
Contrary to popular belief, the region’s rocks are not homogenous. Instead, they are a fascinating mix of different stones, making it an intriguing subject for those interested in geology.
This unique rock gives the mountains their distinctive characteristics:
- Shape
- Color
- Steepness
- Specific mountainous features, such as screes
An area
Now that you know the Dolomites are predominantly formed from dolomite rock, let’s explore the area and its location. While often considered an Italian mountain range, the Dolomites actually extend beyond Italy, reaching into Austria and, depending on your perspective, even across to Slovenia.
Most people associate the Dolomites with the South Tyrol region, which is the part of the Dolomites located within modern-day Italy but which was part of Austria before World War I. However, this is just a small portion of the range. The majority lies within the Veneto Province rather than South Tyrol/Alto Adige. The history of this region is fascinating, and I’ll delve into that a bit later.
The Dolomites stretch from east to west, just south of the Austrian border, from Lienz in the east to the Adige Valley in the west (including Brixen, Bolzano, and Trento), and down to the Po Valley in the south, from Udine in the east to Trento in the west. It also includes the outlying Brenta Dolomites to the west of the Adige Valley and the Lienzer Dolomites north of the border. As I mentioned earlier, not all areas within this region are composed of dolomite. For example, Alpe di Siusi, a famous tourist site, is made of igneous porphyry, a type of microgranite, and Marmolada, the highest mountain in the range, is composed of limestone. Despite these variations, the term “Dolomites” has come to refer to the entire area.
Some Statistics
Total land mass area: 15900km²
For perspective, Connecticut is 14300km², Israel is 200000km²
Approximate population: 1.1 Million
This is the same population as Montana or Estonia
Languages spoken: Italian, German, Ladin (split into 5 distinct dialects)
A rich tapestry of History
By now, I hope you are beginning to appreciate that the Dolomites cover a vast area with diverse cultures and a deep, complex history. As you travel around, you cannot help but notice the stark reminders of World War I, but there is so much more to this region. These mountains have been part of the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Republic of Veneto, Napoleonic Italy, the Kingdom of Italy, and finally, the Italian Republic. Few visitors realize the volatility of the region’s past, with its people being passed from one ruling power to another, and different areas still having varying allegiances today.
World War I brought these tensions to the forefront when Italy, encouraged by the British, switched sides from its defensive pact with Germany and Austria-Hungary and declared war. The ensuing conflict was extremely bloody and difficult, fought over the passes and peaks of the Dolomites, with many perishing due to exposure, avalanches, and starvation.
As a result of their involvement, the Italians were awarded large swathes of Tyrol, cutting off ethnically Austrian inhabitants from their homeland. From the mid-1950s until the late 1960s, the Befreiungsausschuss Südtirol (BAS), led by Sepp Kerschbaumer, fought a guerrilla campaign against the Italian government. This eventually led to negotiations to create two autonomously governed provinces within Italy: Trentino and South Tyrol.
In this autonomous region, languages are split. In Trentino, Italian and Ladin dialects are predominantly spoken, while in South Tyrol, German and Ladin are the primary languages, with Italian usually being a third language.
Crossing the provincial border into Veneto, you will find a predominantly Italian atmosphere, with some valleys strongly Ladin. Despite the war being long ago it has left a lasting legacy, there is still a good deal of resentment between the provinces of Veneto, Trentino, and South Tyrol, held by both German and Italian-speaking communities. This friction might go unnoticed by visitors but helps explain the differences in the appearance and organization of the region’s infrastructure, as the two regions are treated almost entirely separately with little true integration.
Whatever the differences, the Dolomites make for a historically rich place to visit, with Ladin culture being front and center.
A Culture
Language
The native people of the region belong to an ethnolinguistic group found in the following areas where the language is essentially it’s own dialect and people from each region will not necessarily understand someone from a neighbouring area with differences in spelling and pronunciation.
Badiot: Spoken in Val Badia.
Gherdëina: Spoken in Val Gardena.
Fascian: Spoken in the Fassa Valley.
Fodom: Spoken in the Livinallongo Valley.
Ampezzan: Spoken in the Ampezzo Valley.
It’s a Rhaeto-Romance language closely related to Swiss Romansch and Friulian, having evolved from the vulgar Latin spoken during the times of the Roman Empire and local Raetian influences. Despite it’s decline in use, it is being kept actively alive, being taught in schools and if you are in a bar in the evening, you’ll hear it being spoken fluently by locals.
Traditions and Lifestyle
The predominant industry before tourism arrived was farming, mostly animals for meat and dairy products. Crops are hard to grow, especially at the base of many valleys which due to their depth and orientation often suffer from considerable solar shading, meaning that often higher elevations are warmer and more sunlit, especially during the winter months. This led to farms traditionally being located on an “alp”, a high altitude meadow or pastureland.
Families tended to be large and would often share their big farm houses with workers, and of course their animals who would have to be housed during the winter months to protect them from the elements. This led to farms becoming almost mini villages with a mixture of buildings ranging from all stone to all wood and every variation in between.
This way of life has led to a particular architecture which varies from area to area. For example in Val Pettorina, the style is usually to have a seperate Fienile or barn, with a stone build core (which is usually quite small) to the first floor with balconies which surround the entire building and a shingled roof. This would house the animals, hay and wood stores which would be required for the long winter. The family would live in a seperate, well proportioned stone house.
In other areas, the house would literally be a house of two halves. One half would be reserved for animals and hay, the other half for family. This had the advantage that the heat produced by the animals and insulation provided by the hay would help to heat the house.
Other things to look out for
In addition to all of this, they have a quite specific style of food which is truly excellent. It’s different to both Italian and Austrian food, meeting the two worlds somewhere in the middle. they have traditional clothing, which whilst not worn everyday, you might see at dancing balls, where locals from different valleys will meet to keep their traditions alive and well.
What does all of this mean for a tourist?
If there’s one piece of advice I can offer after nearly 30 years of visiting the Dolomites, it’s this: Take your time! Too often, I see people on forums asking how to see the most famous spots in just two days. But the Dolomites are a complex region with countless stories, places, and activities to explore.
While iconic sites like Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Seceda, and Lago di Braies are popular thanks to social media, the Dolomites are so much more. Think of Marmolada, Civetta, Monte Agner, Pale di San Martino, the Lagorai, Monte Pelmo, and the Cantenaccio—the list is endless. Even after 27 years, I still discover new places, breathtaking views, and fascinating history and geology.
So, forget about rushing through a packed itinerary. Travel slowly. Deliberately. Support the local communities outside the tourist hotspots. Let the locals share their stories and history with you. Just be present in this unique and special place.