Born as coral reefs 250 million years ago, today they soar skywards proud and confident as white towers of rock.

The Dolomites are part of the Eastern Alps and are striking because of their unique pale Dolomite rock. Geographically they straddle the borders of three Italian provinces: South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno.The characteristic rock of the Dolomites consists of fossilised coral reefs formed during the Triassic Period (around 250 million years ago) by organisms and sedimentary matter at the bottom of the ancient tropical Tethys Ocean. The Alps arose as a result of the collision of the African and European tectonic plates, forcing the rocks at the point of impact to soar skyward. The western part of the Tethys Ocean which formerly divided these two continents disappeared. The Dolomites became mountains. The varied composition of the rock formations is striking. The Sciliar/Schlern and Sella massifs take the form of table mountains with extensive high areas of grassy meadows such as the Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm between them. Elsewhere rugged, fractured massifs soar in sharp contrast, for example the Tre Cime di Lavaredo/Drei Zinnen and the Catinaccio/Rosengarten. The reason for this lies in the base rocks which are volcanic in origin. They erode more easily, giving rise to fracturing and rounded-off areas of level land. The only remaining glacier in the Dolomites is the Marmolada in the Province of Belluno.