Rays of sunshine through blades of grass and flowers swaying in the wind at the foot of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites, under a changing sky of clouds and clear, bright stars: Nature in Cortina d'Ampezzo is rich with gifts at all times of day and night.
UNESCO DOLOMITES
Nature Park
of the Ampezzo DolomitesDolomites
Unesco HeritageCortina d'Ampezzo
the queen of the dolomitesThere are 1160 species of vascular plants and more than 1,000 species of flowering plants in the Cortina area, 150 of which are considered rare species.
In the Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites some routes have descriptive tables of flowers, shrubs and trees, with their scientific names and a specification of whether or not they are edible: this is a testament to the gifts with which nature is particularly lavish in Cortina d’Ampezzo. It is recognized, in fact.
…that some flowers and medicinal plants at high altitudes have a higher concentration of healing active ingredients by nature, due to the peculiar sun exposure and the purity of the air and soils, which are not conditioned by fertilization and pollutants.
To this wonderful natural wealth, is complemented by a fauna that includes as many as 160 species of vertebrates including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. For this reason, too, it is common to see squirrels running along the trunks of larch trees and jumping between the branches of fir trees. By paying a little attention, it often happens to hear the slight thud of pine cones on the ground, emptied of their seeds: a meal of which squirrels are extremely fond. It is not unusual, moreover, to be able to admire the circular flight of birds of prey, so high that they can touch the peaks of the Dolomites, the true protagonists of a landscape that enraptured and enraptured writers and artists of all ages, passing through or vacationing in Cortina.
The Dolomites, risen from tropical oceans by primordial telluric forces, appeared to poets and painters as so many Venuses generated from sea foam, even as oceanic expanses had given way to alpine lakes of enchanting colors. Famous for its turquoise hues is the Sorapis body of water, of all places.
So much beauty still finds its crowning glory in the uniqueness of the Dolomites, which, especially at sunrise and sunset, are tinged with pink and orange by the phenomenon of Enrosadira.
Dolomite, a light-colored rock and therefore sensitive to changing light at different times of day, is also friable and, as it crumbles, creates incredible spires and pinnacles, architectural works at the hands of Nature.
Only snow smoothes the “lace” profiles of the Dolomites, yet accentuating their color contrasts and increasing the impression of grandeur when admiring them from the center of Cortina.
Snow regulates Nature’s quiet repose, although hectic is the work of creatures, who do not hibernate, to ensure their food and survival. The snowflakes are white and crystal clear when the cold weather reaches its peak, but in the first rays of spring they melt almost magically into rivulets of water and streams, feeding waterfalls and lakes, perennial or seasonal. And from here, then, the meadows and exuberant spring blooms and wildlife, all of it, resume vigor, thanks to nature once again flourishing, at least until next fall.
Only then will Cortina be dressed in the brightest colors, the burnt reds, the vivid yellows, and the more textural ochres of foliage. A pearly light will tint all nature, and a crisp air will bring different scents: of hay, chestnuts and clouds.
Those who will face outings on foot or by bicycle will have the advantage of a climate with cooler temperatures and milder sunshine. In addition, they will be able to witness the Desmonteà , or transhumance in Cortina, as flocks leave the mountain pastures before the arrival of winter. A festival in the center of town celebrates this ancient tradition, with donkeys, horses, cows, goats, sheep, and the direct sale of some of the area’s products-cheeses, cured meats, seasonal vegetables, jams and preserves made from wild fruit from the Dolomites-and handcrafted woodcarving works.
This moment of encounter, organized by the historic Regole d’Ampezzo, has for decades represented the communion between man and nature that animates the most authentic part of Cortina.
A reality that deserves to be discovered and experienced firsthand.
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