Dolomiti
The magic of the Pale Mountains in the geographic heart of the Dolomites UNESCO
The Agordino area is a Dolomitic territory institutionally located in the Province of Belluno in the Veneto Region, in the Italian Alps. The Agordino is nicknamed the “Heart of the Dolomites” due to its central position both in the context of the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage classification and within the International Alpine Classification SOIUSA, as it is easy to see in the map below. Agordino borders with Primiero and Val di Fassa (Trentino) and Val Badia (Südtirol), with Ampezzano, Val di Zoldo, Valbelluna (Province of Belluno). In this fascinating corner of the Italian Alps you can find yourself surrounded by the majestic peaks of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites at 360 degrees and enjoy the impressive beauty of the Pale Mountains in their purest and least commercial form.
The guests of the Agordino area can admire an incredible number of peaks belonging to the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site: 4 of the 9 official systems recognized and protected by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation are located entirely or partially in the Province of Belluno and in the Agordino area:
- Pelmo – Croda da Lago system (#1): the first of the 9 official dolomitic systems is located entirely in the Province of Belluno between the valleys Val Fiorentina (Selva di Cadore – Colle Santa Lucia) and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Val Boite. Mount Pelmo (3168 m) and the Croda da Lago Mountain Range are probably the most famous peaks of this system.
- Marmolada system (#2): the second UNESCO Dolomites system is located on the boundary between the Province of Belluno and the Trentino; the most characteristic mount of this system is without any doubt the Marmolada (3343 m), also known as “the Queen of the Dolomites”. This part of the UNESCO Heritage Site as for the Agordino area can be admired in the Municipality of Rocca Pietore and from the hamlet of Valfredda in the Municipality of Falcade.
- Pale di San Martino, San Lucano, Vette Feltrine & Dolomiti Bellunesi system (#3): this part of the UNESCO Dolomites is located entirely in the Province of Belluno and its peaks cover almost the entire Agordino area. The most characteristic mountains of the third system are Mount Civetta (3220 m) and Mount Agner (2790 m). This system can be admired in the Conca Agordina (Agordo, La Valle Agordina, Taibon Agordino, Rivamonte Agordino, Gosaldo and Voltago Agordino), in the Biois Valley (Falcade, Canale d’Agordo, Vallada Agordina and Cencenighe Agordino) and in the Cordevole Valley (San Tomaso Agordino and Alleghe).
- Northern Dolomites (#5): the fifth system of the UNESCO Foundation contains the most famous mount of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Tre Cime di Lavaredo; the Northern Dolomites Systems is the widest of the 9 systems and it is divided between the Provinces of Belluno and Bozen. In Agordino, guests can admire the peaks of this system in the Municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana and in the area of the Passo Falzarego.
The Dolomites in details – click here
It follows that, from the point of view of the mountain heritage, the Agordino is undoubtedly one of the richest areas of the entire Dolomites system, including the provinces of Trento and Bolzano; together with the nearby areas of Ampezzano, Zoldano, Cadore, Comelico and Basso Bellunese, the Province of Belluno offers tourists 46% of the entire Dolomite territory (compared to 24% of the Province of Bolzano, 13% of the Province of Pordenone, 12% of the Province of Trento and 5% of the Province of Udine – DATA OF THE UNESCO DOLOMITI FUNDATION). A true paradise for lovers of the mountains, of tranquillity, of the beauty of nature.
Where are the Dolomites located?
In this map, taken from Wikipedia and suitably modified by us, you can see where the Agordino is located in the context of the Dolomites UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site and how the groups of UNESCO Natural Heritage are distributed:
In yellow/orange are highlighted the UNESCO World Heritage areas, in green the core of the Dolomites according to the Unified International Orographic Subdivision of the Alpine System, in pink are shown the areas of presence of the dolomite, with our symbol we have highlighted where is the Agordino in this map. It should be noted that the Agordino is centrally located both in the context of the UNESCO World Heritage area and in the context of the SOIUSA classification.
