Sciliar-Catinaccio, Latemar

This System covers 9,302 hectares, shared between the provinces of Trento and Bolzano.

The Sciliar massif is between the high plateau of Fiè-Siusi, Isarco Valley, Alpe di Siusi and Val Gardena. It is a compact massif of Dolomite rock and, depending on the aspect, it resembles a giant monolith with a flat top, from which Punta Santner and Punta Euringer project, or a rocky island with an immense escarpment merging with the pasturelands below, just as in ancient times the atoll melted into the bottom of the sea.

The Catinaccio group, between the Carezza pass, Alpe di Tires and Val di Fassa is a rugged, craggy crest with a number of peaks reaching an altitude of 3,000 metres: Catinaccio d’Antermoia, Cima Scalieret, Torri del Vajolet and Roda di Vaèl. From the 19th century, the geology of Catinaccio has been regarded as of prime importance for the study of the Dolomite stratigraphy of the Triassic period, since its readily accessible outcrops clearly show the relationship between carbonaceous sedimentation and volcanic activity.

The Latemar chain is further south between the Fiemme and Fassa valleys in Trentino and Val d’Ega in South Tyrol. This fossil atoll features a large number of peaks: Croda di Lausa, Campanili del Latemar, Schenon, Cima di Val Bona, Molignon and Corno d’Ega. The scenic northern edge of the massif features the limpid waters of Lake Carezza reflecting the Campanili del Latemar peaks.

In order to safeguard an area that was beginning to be over-exploited, particularly by the tourist industry, placing the landscape and environment in general at risk, the protected area of the Sciliar-Catinaccio Natural Park was established in 1974, the first of these parks in the Province of Bolzano.