Those who visit the wide and friendly valleys and blossoming passes of the mountains feel neither oppressed nor frightened by these mighty Dolomite cliffs, but enjoy the wonderful landscape in which the , the Dolomites, rise up like huge white monumental buildings.      

                                                                                                      Theodor Christomannos

The Dolomite mountains were discovered in 1700. Dèodat Gratet de Dolomieu was the first person to scientifically research these 'Pale Mountains', which were named after him.

However, do you know where the Dolomite mountains, which Reinhold Messner calls the most beautiful mountains in the world, begin and where they end?
The 'frontiers of the Dolomites'
are the Eisack Valley (Bozen-Brixen) in the West,
the Puster Valley (up to Innichen) in the North,
the Cadore Valley (up to Belluno) in the North-East,
the Piave Valley (up to Feltre) in the South-East,
the Valsugana (up to Trento) in the South and finally
the Etsch Valley up to Bozen in the South.
The region described above is the exact scientific outline for the Dolomites (the area, which is generally known as Dolomites).

The most important mountain massifs and ranges of the Dolomites are the Rosengarten, Latemar Langkofel group, Marmolada, Sella group, Geisler, Kreuzkofel group, Fanis group, Sexten Dolomites (Drei Zinnen), Cadini group, Pelmo, Bosconero, Civetta, Moiazza, Pala, Cristallo, Antelao, Sorapis, Marmarole and Lagorai.