History and trivia
The pale mountains that rose from the sea
Origins of the name
The Dolomites take their name from the French naturalist Déodat de Dolomieu (1750 - 1801), who was the first to study that particular type of rock.
Enrosadira
The Marmolada and all the Dolomites are tinged with a pink glow at dawn: this phenomenon of changing colours is called Enrosadira. The rock was created from an accumulation of shells, coral and calcareous algae, which began 250 million years ago. Punta Penìa, on the Marmolada, is the highest peak (3343 metres).
Record slopes
The Dolomiti Superski is the largest ski resort in Europe: 1200 km of slopes and 10.5 million daily ski-passes sold a year.
Hop off in China
Some companies from Alto Adige have opened a Dolomites Mountain Resort in the Hebei region (218 km north of Peking).