DOLOMYTHOS

a landscape design by paul blanchard Montrez-moi le ciel chargé de nuages Répétant le monde enfoui sous mes pau- pières Montrez-moi le ciel dans une seule étoile Je vois bien la terre sans être ébloui Les pierres obscures les herbes fantômes Ces grands verres d’eau ces grands blocs d’ambre des paysages Les jeux de feu et de centre Les géographies solennelles des limites hu- manes

—Paul Eluard, “À Pablo Picasso, II, 15 mai 1936”, in Oevres complètes, I, La Pléiade, 1968, p. 499. 1 abstract

To paint a picture of the physical landscape of the Dolomites is simple: it is a place of pink stone, verdant forests and pastures, white snow silhouetted against blue winter skies; a landscape shaped by nature, as well as by the humans who have lived and worked in the region since prehistoric times. But there is another landscape of the Dolomites, unknown to many because intangible. It is the landscape of narrative, especially oral narrative, the fruit of a reciprocity between physical nature and human nature rooted in the most remote moments of history and the most obscure depths of the psyche. To inhabit the Dolomites is to know, and to know how to transmit, these stories, which tell, in a more or less veiled form, of the encounter between human imagination and a nature that is stately but frugal, generous but adverse, charming but dangerous. This is not to say that the oral narrative of the Dolomites presents a metaphorical record of the area’s settlement by one ethnic group or another. As instructive as such a record may be, in anthropological or ethnographic terms, to recast legends and fairy tales as a kind of historical novel undermines their worth rather than adding to it. Precisely because it is the fruit of free and unconditioned imagination, oral narrative is invested with a value that extends beyond the well-marked boundaries of a given linguistic minority. Thanks to its imaginative charge, the landscape sketched by oral narrative—in our case, by oral narrative of the Venetian, Tyrolean, Fassa, Gherdeina, Badiot, Fodom or Furlan tradition—belongs to all humanity. Dolomythos would restore the bonds that united these Dolomite landscapes in the past. The use of the conditional is a must, because the oral tradition that, for thousands of years, inextricably joined the two aspects of the landscape of the Dolomites—the tangible and the intangible—has lost importance in recent decades, yielding its primacy first to radio and then to television. Efforts to transcribe and analyze these stories (and there have been many: 1 Parco Naturale Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino. the suffice it to recall here the work of Hugo de Rossi, Karl Felix Wolff, Karl Staudacher, dramatic peaks of the Pale di San Martino and the vast Paneveggio National Forest make up this spectacular Angel Morlang, Klare French-Wieser, Ulrike Kindl, Giuliano Palmieri, Helmut Birkhan, nature reserve of 190 square kilometers in the province of Trento. This is an area of outstanding importance, Veronica Irsara, Catherine Percoto, Ferdinand Del Torre, Luigi Gortani Dolfo Zorzut, whose protection, secured in 1987 after some 20 years of public debate, marked a major victory for Italian environmentalists.

i among others), have certainly helped to save the region’s precious unwritten heritage from oblivion. However, while recognizing the fundamental importance of these efforts from the point of view of preservation, one must acknowledge that they have not contributed to the recovery of an authentic oral tradition. Now what is at risk is not the literary aspect of the narratives—although this is inevitably damaged when one joins the many versions of a story in a single “definitive” text—but their socializing function—in other words, the opportunity to exchange ideas and impressions with others that is created when the story is told, performed and commented in company. Once, in the Dolomite valleys as throughout Europe, families gathered around the fire to share the experiences of the imagination; now every individual, forced by radio and television communication to listen in a passive and non-participatory way, imagines alone. If it is true that these technologies, born during the last century, tended to depersonalize communication, it is also true that new technologies can, to some extent, restore relationships damaged by the excessive centrism of broadcast media. The World Wide Web, as is well known, offers the chance to converse in a new way, to communicate dyadically. Dyadic communication gives rise to a multidirectional flow of information, is capable of supporting an exchange of ideas between individuals and allows each individual to contribute, in real time, to the debate on a given topic. Dolomythos will take advantage of the communications philosophy of the Web and the growing wi-fi connectivity in the Dolomites to develop a series of listening centers to be located on or near hiking trails in urban, rural and high-mountain settings. The project’s field of action will include all nine contiguous areas designated as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. Strategic alliances will be forged with local, provincial and regional authorities, the one national park and the numerous regional parks, and major cultural players such as the Istitut Cultural Ladin at Vico di Fassa and the Museum Ladin at San Martino in Badia. The Dolomythos team will assist the nascent Dolomites UNESCO Foundation in the selection of architects, landscape architects and other professionals, with a view to restoring degraded or derelict land or buildings to make listening centers; providing listening centers with the technology necessary to present locally-sited narratives in ways that are distinctive but always instructive and engaging; engaging playwrights, actors, sound engineers and other technicians to produce works of aural theater; creating a highly interactive Web site devoted to the narratives and their relationship with the land—all under the supervision and guidance of a locally constituted advisory committee. Through these actions Dolomythos will enhance both the material landscape of the Dolomites and the intangible landscape of the region’s symbolic and narrative traditions. In addition it will take the oral narrative of the Dolomites as a starting point for a project of mutual understanding on a large scale, whose broader objective shall be to create and sustain a vibrant and dynamic cultural debate that sees diversity as a human value of primary importance.

Paul Blanchard

iii DOLOMYTHOS

i 3 11 abstract philosophy site land and landscape pale mountains

25 intervention layering meaning

33 heritage material and immaterial wealth 1 philosophy

land and landscape

A landscape is not a natural fact; it is always the result of a human in which the two situations coexist (Italian, Spanish). There construction. This is obvious when the word is applied to a genre are movements of meaning from one language to another of painting. But it is equally true when one considers the subject (Dutch>German and English), and movements of meaning from of the painting. The ‘landscape’ is, in effect, a set of elements ancient to modern languages (Latin>Italian, Dutch and German). artificially ‘cut out’ of the real. Moreover, to form a landscape these French is the only language that invents a new word to designate the elements must appear as a unitary whole—so, in order for there to re-presentation of a part of the world. Among all the Western words be a landscape, there must be a ‘shaping perception’, to borrow a for landscape, the sixteenth-century neologism paisage (in modern term coined by Simon Schama.1 One may join this author in noting usage, paysage) is, in fact, the chef de file of two separate but that representations of the land and the names by which they are related lexical groups: words without Latin roots, and words having called, in English (landscape) as in German (landschaft), come from to do with representation. Recent research suggests that paysage 1 Georgia O’Keeffe, one of the most important Holland (landskip)—that is, from a country where nature has, more arose specifically to designate representation in the visual arts, being and successful artists of the twentieth century than elsewhere, been modeled by man. It is difficult to think of this first used to describe the images that were painted or engraved at (here photographed by coincidence as a matter of chance. One might wonder, indeed, if Fontainebleau between 1530 and 1543.2 Alfred Stieglitz, 1918). Her ability to capture the the polysemy that makes it possible to use the term landscape to Contemporary usage of the word landscape is characterized by essence of the natural beauty of northern New designate both a portion of the earth and its pictorial representation, countless figurative applications touching upon the most diverse Mexico desert, has given does not imply an ambiguity that is more than semantic. It is as domains: mention is frequently made of interior landscape, political the area the appellati- ve, “O’Keeffe Country,” though what one means, by landscape, belongs neither to the world landscape, cultural landscape. It is reasonable to ask if the word indissolubly mixing the identities of artist and of things nor to that of ideas, but suggests the existence of another does not lose in understanding what it gains in extension, this way. land. mode of being, inhabits an intermediate reality that is its own Is it emptied of meaning, does it lose sight of all reference to the specific dimension and the source of the landscape’s extraordinary landscape ‘as such’? Or does this metaphoric extension, on the mnemonic and aesthetic power. contrary, reveal certain unexplored and unexploited properties of landscape? The broader acceptation of the word clearly does not designate Landscape as word the landscape or landscapes represented by this artist or in that work, it describes a certain world view intimately tied to the In Europe, there are languages in which one and the same word sensibility and style of the artist: not this or that reference, but a set designates the countryside and its representation (Dutch, German); of references. When we speak figuratively of Georgia O’Keeffe’s languages in which the countryside and its representation are landscape, for example, we are not referring to the clear skies or designated by different words (French, English); and languages sun-drenched sands of New Mexico, or even to an iconography of

3 animal bones, flowers and plant organs, shells, rocks, mountains from sense experience, which appear over and over in the work (Garzanti Linguistics),7 that “parte di un luogo che si abbraccia horizon as a property) if I were not there to measure it with my gaze.” and other natural forms. What we intend is a more general and charge it with a particular meaning—for example, an obsession con lo sguardo e che si presenta sotto un determinato aspetto”8 But inversely, “the landscape touches and affects me,” “it reaches construction, which borrows certain of its traits from things and with the erotic, the psychological, or the symbolic. These preferred (Rizzoli). The German Landschaft is “Ein oder mehr weniger me in my most singular being”;13 and consciousness cannot to take places that O’Keeffe painted during her life, but is reworked by the themes are tied to emotional states and subjective values, and they scharf abgegrenztes Gebiet der Erdoberfläche, Dessen Bild hold of and express itself without projecting itself externally: “the imagination, through painting. The same may be said of for literature, constitute both an image of the world and an image of the self. durch die verschiedenen Landschaftselemente (natur-räumliche, essence of consciousness is to give itself one or more worlds—that where, because the explicit visual reference to the material world is Whence the second meaning of the word: the landscape of an artist biologische, ökonomisch-Kulturelle) aufgebaut wird” (Neue Fischer is, to give being to its own thoughts, outside itself, as things, and it lacking, the link between the sensibility of the writer and the reality is also that artist herself, as she offers herself totally to us as the Lexikon),9 “Geländeeinheit, abgeschlossenes Gebiet” (Duden tests its vigor by sketching out these landscapes.”14 s/he creates is even sharper. To speak of the landscape of Cesare subject and object of her painting. This image of the world and of Herkunftswörterbuch).10 In Ladin, the situation becomes more Merleau-Ponty attributes the principal role, in the relationship Pavese means much more than to repropose an inventory of the the self is an original construction, and we will be able to grasp it complicated: there is a dictionary and landscape, or Landschaft, is between consciousness and the sensible, to the body. It is by natural or climatic characteristics of a particular corner of Piedmont; only by studying the semantic and formal structures of the work. The translated differently in standard Ladin (contreda), Fassa (paesaje), means of one’s own materiality that one participates in the materiality it is to dive into the deeper associations with which the author fills third ‘landscape’, logically, is that space of meaning and language Gherdeina (cuntreda), Badiot (district), Fodom (district) and Frulan of the world, he says. “The body and the ground against which it his words: of which the serious viewer attempts to manifest the unique (paisag).11 However, the speakers of all these forms of Ladino stands share a single general corporeity or visibility, which governs coherence, to lay bare the system. I will come back in greater detail recognize, in their words, the duality mentioned above. both and which extends beyond the horizon and beneath the skin to Le colline insensibili che riempiono il cielo to each element of this triple definition, but suffice it to say, in a first Clearly the landscape is not the real land, it is the land perceived the very core of being.”15 sono vive nell’alba, poi restano immobili approximation, that the term, landscape, in contemporary usage, from the point of view of a subject. It belongs not to objective The perception of the landscape is never purely and simply come fossero secoli, e il sole le guarda. closely bonds an image of the world, an image of the self, and a reality, but to a perception that is always, irreducibly, subjective. The visual, it engages all the senses: “we see the depth, softness, Ricoprirle di verde sarebbe una gioia semantic construction. horizon, a constituent element of the space of any landscape, clearly imprecision, and density of objects; Cézanne even said, their odor.”16 e nel verde, disperse, le frutta e le case. This conception is not so distant as is sometimes believed reveals this subjective dimension: it is an imaginary line (it is not to This polysensoriality of the landscape is associated with the most Ogni pianta nell’alba sarebbe una vita from what is commonly understood by landscape. The current be found on any map) whose position depends both on physical intimate life of the body and the deepest affectivity of the psyche. prodigiosa e le nuvole avrebbero un senso. definitions of the word—in English, but also in other European factors (differences in elevation, presence or absence of buildings), “The landscape appeared to me … as tied to the organic root of a Non ci manca che il mare a risplendere forte languages—show that the most literal meaning of landscape and on the observer’s point of view. mood; it is what one sees, knows, touches, smells, eats, secretes, e inondare la spiaggia in un ritmo monotono. Su dal mare non sporgono piante, non muovono foglie; includes the possibility of a metaphorical use like the one outlined As perceived space, the landscape is always already a absorbs or penetrates… the place of commerce, and of self- 17 quando piove sul mare, ogni goccia è perduta, here, and that that use reveals a relatively recent evolution of artistic construction of reality that inseparably links objective facts and the discovery, of a complex and singular libido.” come il vento su queste colline, che cerca le foglie practices and philosophical ideas. Our inquiry therefore does not point of view of a subject. The word therefore brings together, in These sensory, corporeal and emotional echoes give meaning to e non trova che pietre. Nell’alba è un istante: concern the visual arts alone; it involves a more general reflection on its literal meaning, the three components we have identified in its the landscape; they trace “the significant lines of a presence in the si disegnano in terra le sagome nere the place landscape occupies in culture at large. This is especially figurative meaning: the world, the self, and the making of a whole. world.”18 They participate in the definition of an idéalité d’horizon, of e le chiazze vermiglie. Poi torna il silenzio. true when dealing with literary creations produced and refined over One could even say that different figurative uses of the word, like “an idea that does not oppose sense experience, but helps forge its the centuries, not by a single individual, but by a group or groups of different types of representation of the landscape, tend to privilege depth and complexity.”19 For phenomenology, there is a sense of the Hanno un senso le cose buttate nel cielo individuals. one or another of these components. In an expression such as senses. When one speaks of airiness or softness in Proust, these come case di grandi città? Sono nude. In modern usage, landscape is a preconstituted configuration of ‘political landscape’ or ‘cultural landscape’, the idea of the whole adjectives simultaneously describe sense impressions and material Passa a volte un villano stagliato nel vuoto, the land, a sort of reflection of the land in itself. As we have seen, seems to stand alone, without referencing the others. A realistic essences that make meaning in the novelist’s work. The sensible così assurdo che pare passeggi su un tetto French invents a new word for this re-presentation of the natural description will set out to specify the objective components of a landscape is always, already symbolic. di città. Viene in mente la sterile mole world. Not coincidentally, the suffix –age after a pays, connotes landscape, whereas a poetic evocation will develop its subjective Bachelard and Sarte also showed that the material properties delle case ammucchiate, che prende la pioggia the overall apprehension of a whole—as in feuillage or visage, for echoes. of the world bear meaning: “the material meaning, the human e si asciuga nel sole e non dà un filo d’erba. example. Paysage is a presentation of the land which permits one significance of snowflakes, granite, the yew, grease … are as real Per coprire le case e le pietre di verde to apprehend it as a whole. The current Larousse defines it as an as the world, neither more nor less, and to come into the world is to – sì che il cielo abbia un senso – bisogna affondare “étendue de pays que l’on peut embrasser dans son ensemble.”4 The philosophical landscape emerge in the midst of these meanings.”20 Contemporary semiology dentro il buio radici ben nere. Al tornare dell’alba This apprehension as a whole is tied to a point of view—”l’on peut takes a very serious view of these meanings, which issue from the scorrerebbe la luce fin dentro la terra embrasser”—which trait is implied also in the definition of paysage Modern philosophy, born of phenomenology, redefines encounter between the body and the sensible world, claiming they come un urto. Ogni sangue sarebbe più vivo: as an “étendue du pays que l’on voit d’un seul aspect” (Littré),5 consciousness in terms of its relation to objects—its being in are major avenues to the ‘universe of meaning’: “it is perception as anche i corpi son fatti di vene nerastre. or “partie d’un pays que la nature présente à l’œil qui la regarde” the world—and sees sense experience as the area in which the interaction of man and his environment that is the touchstone E i villani che passano avrebbero un senso.3 (Robert).6 The situation is identical in English, where landscape is “all meaning materializes to become a first form of expression. The of our efforts to understand the world of the senses,” write Greimas the visible features of an area of land” (Concise Oxford), “a portion of French phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty often evokes and Fontanille in Sémiotique des passions.21 At least three definitions come to mind for what we mean when territory that can be viewed at one time from one place” (Merriam- the landscape as the model of this natural unity of consciousness It is in the measure that “it implants a meaning in that which we speak of an artist’s landscape. First, the set of physical Webster), or “an extensive area of land regarded as being visually and the world, which he brings to bear on the noetic-noematic had none” that “every perception, and every action that requires elements that form the basis, the ground, of the artist’s creative distinct” (Collins). correlation drawn by Husserl.12 The landscape is inseparable from perception, in brief every use of the body, is already primordial experience—for example, the attention to the transient, ephemeral, And in the three languages spoken in the Dolomites World the subject that perceives it: “I am the absolute source of the expression,” according to Merleau-Ponty; “all the possibilities or mystical in O’Keeffe, or the obsession with the myth, symbol Heritage area? The Italian word paesaggio is defined as “l’aspetto landscape,” because “I bring into being … the horizon, whose of language are already given there.”22 Because it organizes the and archetype in Pavese. Here we are dealing with themes taken di un luogo … quale appare quando lo si abbraccia con lo sguardo” distance from me would collapse (because it does not belong to the sensible in meaning-bearing configurations, perception is already a

4 5 form of language; it has a ‘style’ that reveals “a certain manner of a reproduction. Many times, in fact, in observing things painted the organization of trees, shrubs, paths and ornaments in strictly music of Debussy and Stravinsky, Proust’s prose or the poetry of relating to the world.” So, Merleau-Ponty sees a filiation between by this man, the visual sense of men would err, taking what was geometric forms was replaced by the landscape garden designed Eliot. The Waste Land consists of five sections and proceeds on sense experience and creative endeavor. Creative endeavor picks painted to be the very thing itself.”24 to look, from a particular point of view, like a painting by Claude a principle of ‘rhetorical discontinuity’ that reflects the fragmented up on a “fundamental thought” in which ideas, unlike abstract Boccaccio, himself a naturalist and a realist, here subtly adopts or Poussin. Walls and fences were hidden in ditches so as not to experience of twentieth-century sensibilities. Eliot expresses the concepts, “never fully escape the spectacles” of which they are the painter’s achievement as a justification for his own literary style. obstruct the view of the whole, ancient ruins were created on the despair and confusion that are associated with a secularized outcomes. To create is to “attempt to express the perceived or lived- So Shakespeare, at the end of the Renaissance, praises Giulio spot, and servants were recruited to pose as farmers, shepherds civilization, laments the loss of sense of life that accompanies the in world as a whole”; it is a matter of producing “a system of signs Romano (and himself), “who, had he himself eternity and could and hermits. Next—as was predictable—people ventured into demise of the urbs eterna, though without hoping for a return to that, by virtue of the way it is put together, gives the landscape of an put breath into his work, would beguile Nature of her custom, so nature itself in search for landscapes, initially with an optical device the past. This is the ultimate theme of The Waste Land, actualized experience; the reliefs, the force-lines of this landscape must form perfectly he is her ape.”25 It should be noted that neither Vasari, called a ‘Claude glass’, a tinted convex mirror in which one could by the rhetorical movement of the poem and its juxtaposition of a deep syntax, a way of composing … that takes the world and Boccaccio, nor Shakespeare endorses realistic style as a summum compose natural scenes resembling the paintings of Claude, and contrasting styles: ordinary language apart and puts them back together again.”23 bonum; rather, realism is the means for regaining touch with the then leaving the mirror behind and coming face to face with nature. So, the construction of the world that sense experience initiates sovereign creative principle of Nature. The discovery of natura naturans (nature performing the functions What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow is carried forth in artistic creation by an architecture of forms or The Romantic aesthetic broadens and deepens the subjective specific to it) marks the beginning of modern tourism, and it is no Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, signs. Merleau-Ponty touches here upon the third aspect of our echoes of landscape, extending them to all areas of sensory accident that some of the leading poets of Romanticism, such as You cannot say, or guess, for you know only A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, definition of landscape, that space of meaning and language of experience, imagination and emotion: Henri Frederic Amiel’s famous William Wordsworth, also wrote guidebooks aimed at those “tourists And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, which the critical viewer attempts to manifest the unique coherence. formula, “tout est paysage est un état de l’âme,”26 expresses the and residents” who set out to discover the natural world.28 And the dry stone no sound of water. Only The configuration that perception imposes on the elements of a projection of subjective feelings onto the world and the resonance The research of the French naturalist, Dieudonné de Dolomieu, There is shadow under this red rock, landscape is extended to their representation. The landscape of an of the world in the consciousness of the subject. In painting as in who first studied the particular rock type that now bears his name, (Come in under the shadow of this red rock), artist, writer, or musician is not just the places where s/he has lived, literature, Romanticism tends to erase the distinction between the a double carbonate of calcium and magnesium (MgCa(CO ) ), 3 2 And I will show you something different from either worked, or traveled. It is not even a more or less subtle composite internal and external, advocating a vision in which the outside world dates from this era: 1791. Only half a century later the Dolomites Your shadow at morning striding behind you of his or her geographic and biographic references. It is an original is “seen as” an inner landscape. Even the most realistic description were to become a destination for visitors from every region of Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; constellation of meanings produced by the work. There is a common cannot help but charge the “external” with “internal” emotional Europe. As one can imagine, the area was appreciated mainly for its I will show you fear in a handful of dust. style among a certain manner of being in the world and a certain values and meanings. In the Italian language no author renders this importance in mountaineering: the higher peaks were conquered, Frisch weht der Wind way of managing language. principle so well as Giacomo Leopardi. in fact, by Germans, English and Italian, between 1860 and 1900.29 Significantly, the first systematic studies of Dolomite narrative date Der Heimat zu. Sempre caro mi fu quest’ermo colle, from the years immediately after this: Hugo de Rossi ‘s Fiabe e Mein Irisch Kind, The artistic landscape E questa siepe, che da tanta parte leggende della val di Fassa came out in 1912; Karl Felix Wolff’s Wo weilest du? De l’ultimo orizzonte il guardo esclude. Dolomitensagen, in 1913. ‘You gave me hyacinths first a year ago; In the history of Western art, interest in representations of Ma sedendo e mirando, interminato The wave of aggressive experimentation called Modernism Spazio di là da quella, e sovrumani They called me the hyacinth girl.’ the landscape seems to have coincided with moments of seems to have renounced every form of objective description, Silenzi, e profondissima quiete —Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden, heightened awareness of the individual subject. This is certainly considering it illusory, and openly taken up the subjective viewpoint Io nel pensier mi fingo, ove per poco Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not the case in the Renaissance, when the advent of humanism, in its imagined landscapes. Surrealism sees metaphor as a means of Il cor non si spaura. E come il vento Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither a philosophical position that stressed the autonomy of human accessing the interior truth of things, “plus profonde, plus spirituelle Odo stormir tra queste piante, io quello Living nor dead, and I knew nothing, 31 reason in contradistinction to the authority of the Church, brought Infinito silenzio a questa voce que la réalité physique.” Cubism, admitting the impossibility of a Looking into the heart of light, the silence. a rediscovery of the natural world in the work of such artists as Vo comparando: e mi sovvien l’eterno, true, exact description, often proposes an exploded vision of the Od’ und leer das Meer. 32 Leonardo and Raphael, Giorgione and Titian, or of writers such as E le morte stagioni, e la presente landscape, of which the elements, spread over many points of the Petrarch and Boccaccio. E viva, e ’l suon di lei. Così tra questa work but joined by a complex play of echoes, refrains and variations, The Expressionist painters of the Blaue Reiter and Brücke groups The development of Italian Renaissance art is inextricably bound Infinità s’annega il pensier mio: contrive themselves in a structure that is primarily formal. Here it is gradually reduce the landscape to a few essential lines freely to the themes and techniques of humanism. First, the humanists the E ’l naufragar m’è dolce in questo mare.27 the ‘construction’ that brings on the representation of the world and reinterpreted and recontrived. At times this abstraction is lyric, as in humanists paid conscious tribute to realistic techniques in art that the expression of the subject. An example is Braque’s Houses at Kandinsky’s compositions of the early teens, where the landscape had developed independently of humanism. Giotto di Bondone (c. The development of a predisposition for nature in the second half of Estaque, 1908 (Kunstmuseum, Bern), in which trees, rocks, roofs elements, still half-recognizable, are given a movement that is 1266–1337), the Florentine painter responsible for the movement the eighteenth century has less to do with the fascination of nature and hills form a single angular continuum of shapes whose planar at once musical and emotional: examples of this type include away from the Byzantine style and toward ancient Roman technique, than with the growing interest in landscape painting, particularly simplicity is underscored by a restricted palette of greys, greens and Landscape with Red Spots, No. 2, 1913 (Peggy Guggenheim was praised by Giorgio Vasari as “the pupil of Nature.” Giotto’s own the works of two seventeenth-century schools, the Dutch and browns. Collection, Venice). At others it is abrasive, as in the landscapes contemporary Boccaccio said of him in the Decameron that “there Italian. The best-known painters of the Italian school—Claude By freeing itself of figuration, however, early modern painting of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff where, even if one manages to glimpse was nothing in Nature—the mother and ruling force of all created Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin and Salvator Rosa—were represented in does not necessarily turn away from the landscape; it deconstructs the general structure of the sites that inspired the works, it is things with her constant revolution of the heavens—that he could all the great collections, but also in smaller ones, thanks to serially the landscape’s constituent features and reconstructs them overwhelmed by a sensory and emotional intensity created by not paint with his stylus, pen, or brush or make so similar to its produced prints. The eighteenth-century fashion for these artists according to laws other than those of perspective and perception. in the dynamism of the line and the vigor of the color: witness original in Nature that it did not appear to be the original rather than also led to a revolution in the cultivation of gardens, by which This is evident in the paintings of Braque and Picasso, as in the Diechdurchbruch, 1910 (Brücke Museum, Berlin).

6 7 This reconstruction of reality in terms of a given sensibility and representation, the landscape dos not wholly disappear. One finds it so absurd that he seems to walk on a city sì simile a quella, che non simile, anzi più tosto dessa paresse, in tanto che style is certainly one form of landscape. It is not surprising that its depicted there in a way that is no longer mimetic, but is more openly roof. One is reminded of the sterile bulk molte volte nelle cose da lui fatte si truova che il visivo senso degli uomini vi of houses crowded together, which takes the rain prese errore, quello credendo esser vero che era dipinto.” Giovanni Boccaccio, preferred domain should be Modern creativity, and especially that lyrical, symbolic or aesthetic. One is led to conclude, therefore, that and dries in the sun and does not give a blade of grass. Decameron, Sesta Giornata, Novella Quinta. http://www.liberliber.it/biblioteca/ which, after Romanticism, establishes a bond between creativity the intuition advanced at the beginning of this essay is correct: the b/boccaccio/decameron/html/06.htm#05. To cover the houses and the stones with green and sense experience. Throughout the twentieth century artists, landscape is not an objective fact that can be exactly reproduced; —so that the sky has a sense—black roots must 25 William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, Act V, Scene 2. http://shakespeare. architects, writers, composers and filmmakers studied human it is a phenomenon whose ontological force comes from the point be sunk into the darkness. With the dawn’s return mit.edu/winters_tale/full.html cultural variation, analyzing and critiquing the impact of economic of view of the observing subject. This inherent subjectivity makes the light would flow right into the ground like a shock. All blood would be more alive: and political processes on cultural realities. The preparation of each landscape unique. The visual arts, literature, and music, testify 26 “every landscape is a state of mind. “ Henri Frédéric Amiel, Fragments d’un bodies too are made of blackish veins. journal intime (Paris: 1884). a work demanded research that was almost anthropological in to the wealth of meanings, forms and values that a living subject And passing peasants would have a sense. character, through a variety of methods that could include, as in the can produce on the basis of his or her sense experience. In their From “Lavorare stanca,” 1934 (in Cesare Pavese, Le poesie. Torino: Einaudi 27 Always to me beloved was this lonely hillside ‘social sculpture’ of Joseph Beuys and his contemporaries (1921– representations, the experience of the world helps shape the face of Tascabili. Poesia, 43). Translation by the author. And the hedgerow creeping over and always hiding 1986), the historical investigation of the site and the observation and the world; it makes it habitable. To turn to landscape is not to turn The distances, the horizon’s furthest reaches. analysis of its population. This research often led the artist to spend backward: it is to re-establish the bonds that tie humankind to its 4 “an area of land that can be embraced as a whole.” But as I sit and gaze, there is an endless Space still beyond, there is a more than mortal more or less long periods of time in the field—in some cases even physical context. The landscape changes at each glance—and each 5 “an area of land viewed as a single thing.” Silence spread out to the last depth of peace, a lifetime. A splendid example of prolonged interaction between a change gives one the occasion to create a new horizon, to rediscover Which in my thought I shape until my heart visual artist and his physical and human environment is Tim Rollins oneself and to invent new forms. 6 “a portion of land that nature presents to the observing eye.” Scarcely can hide a fear. And as the wind and KOS. After university studies in the field of art, education and Comes through the copses sighing to my ears, 7 “the features of a place ... as they appear when embraced by the gaze.” The infinite silence and the passing voice philosophy at New York University, Rollins began teaching art in a I must compare: remembering the seasons, special education program in a public middle school in the South 8 “part of a place that embraces you with her eyes and that presents a particular Quiet in dead eternity, and the present, Bronx, the toughest ghetto in New York. In 1984 he launched the aspect.” Living and sounding still. And into this Immensity my thought sinks ever drowning, Art and Knowledge Workshop in the Bronx with a group of students 9 “A more or less sharply defined area of the earth’s surface, whose image is And it is sweet to shipwreck in such a sea. at risk called KOS (Kids of Survival). The group has exhibited widely 1 “At the very least, it seems right to acknowledge that it is our shaping constructed by various landscape elements (natural, biological, economic and throughout the world and their work is in prestigious public and perception that makes the difference between raw matter and landscape.... cultural).” Giacomo Leopardi, “L’Infinito,” in Mario Pazzaglia, Letteratura italiana: testi e 10 “unified terrain, distinct area.” private collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New What lies beyond the windowpane of our apprehension, says Magritte, needs critica con lineamenti di storia letteraria, vol. 3 (Milano: Zanichelli 1979). http:// a design before we can properly discern form, let alone derive pleasure from its www.liberliber.it/biblioteca/l/leopardi/l_infinito/html/infinito.htm. York, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, and the Tate Gallery in 11 Definitions graciously supplied by Evelyn Bortolotti, librarian of the Istitut perception. And it is culture, convention, and cognition that makes that design; Translated by Henry Reed. Listener 43, no. 1113 (25 May 1950): 924. http:// London. Cultural Ladin, Vico di Fassa. that invests a retinal impression with the quality we experience as beauty.” www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/infinite.html Twenty-first-century creativity rejects the discourse of the Simon Schama, Landscape and Memory (New York: Vintage, 1995), 10. 12 For every dimension of noesis there is a corresponding dimension of the noem. past based on an opposition between ‘culture’ and ‘nature’. 28 William Wordsworth published his Guide to the Lakes in 1810, and in 1835 Cf. http://www.ditext.com/runes. 2 See Catherine Franceschi, “Du mot paysage et de ses équivalents dans the volume had reached its fifth edition, entitled, A Guide through the District Contemporary creative endeavor argues that culture is ‘human of the Lakes in the North of England. The book was particularly influential in cinq langues européennes,” in Michel Collot, ed., Les enjeux du paysage nature’, and that all people have the capacity to classify experiences, 13 Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phénoménologie de la perception (Paris: Gallimard, popularizing the region. Wordsworth’s favorite valley was Dunnerdale or the (Bruxelles: 1997); and “Un homme averti en vaut deux: L’héritage de la notion 1945), 465. Duddon Valley in the southwest of the Lake District. to encode their classifications symbolically (in language), and to de paysage,” paper delivered at the seminar, Nouvelle scène de l’art, April communicate these abstractions to others. Contemporary creativity 2002; Nouveaux Commanditaires, http://www.nouveaucommanditaires.com. 14 Merleau-Ponty, Phénoménologie de la perception, 151-152. 29 Antelao, 1863; Sorapis, 1864; Cima Grande di Lavaredo, 1869; Cimon della The etymology of landscape traced out in the paragraphs that follow is largely is therefore inclusive rather than exclusive: as the technology of the Pala, 1879; Pelma, 1877. Franceschi’s. World Wide Web, with which it coexists in time and space, is open- 15 Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Le visible et l’invisible (Paris: Gallimard, 1964), 195. 16 Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Sens et non-sens (Paris: Nagel, 1966), 26. 30 “deeper, more spiritual than physical reality.” Marcel Proust, À la recerche du source: its openness to stimuli from the territory brings it to eliminate 3 The insensitive hills that fill the sky temps perdu (Paris: Gallimard, 1954), i, 862. are alive in the dawn, then remain motionless the barriers between subject and object, artist and viewer, creative 17 Jean-Pierre Richard, Microlectures (Paris: Seuil, 1979), 8. as though they were centuries, and the sun watches them. activity and everyday life. Sometimes the art is critical of the reality it 31 T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land, 1922. (http://www.bartleby.com/201/1.html). To overlay them with green would be a joy 18 Jean-Pierre Richard, Proust et le monde sensible (Paris: Seuil, 1974), 7. describes; sometimes it simply records that reality, finding beauty in and amidst the green, scattered, fruits and homes. the record itself: without straying too far from the Dolomites, suffice it Each plant in the dawn would be a prodigious 19 Merleau-Ponty, Le visible et l’invisible, 195-196. to think of the work of Walter Niedemayr. life, and the clouds would have a sense. All that is missing is the sea to shine brightly 20 Jean-Paul Sartre, l’Etre et le Néant (Pari, Gallimard 1943), 691. and flood the beach in a dull, flat rhythm. No trees stick out of the sea, no leaves move; 21 A. J. Greimas & Jacques Fontanille, Sémiotique des passions (Paris: Seuil Conclusions when it rains on the sea every drop is lost, 1991), 324. like the wind on these hills, which seeks the leaves and finds only stones. The dawn is an instant: The reflections of the preceding paragraphs clearly show that the 22 Merleau-Ponty, Le visible et l’invisible, 109, 203. dark shapes and vermilion spots are drawn meaning humans ascribe to landscape is tied to sense experience in the soil. Then the silence returns. 23 Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Résumés de cours (Paris: Gallimard, 1968), 40. that is not just visual, but polysensorial, emotional, and meaningful, Is there a sense to things thrust into the sky and that the landscape can be present in a work without necessarily like the houses of great cities? They are naked. 24 “niuna cosa dà la Natura, madre di tutte le cose e operatrice col continuo girar being represented there. Even in Modernism, with its crisis of Sometimes, a peasant goes by, picked out against the void, de’ cieli, che egli con lo stile e con la penna o col pennello non dipignesse

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The Dolomites region is a spectacularly exposed portion of some 250 million years ago. At that time a tropical body 1 Strictly speaking, the Dolomites are a sub-range > of the Eastern Alps located between the Adige and the Southern Alps. Located in northeastern Italy, between of salt water separated the super-continent of Laurasia, to the Piave. But anyone who has seen them knows Venice and the Austrian border, it is bounded by the the north, from Gondwana, to the south: Laurasia included that they are much more than that. “The Dolomites ... recall quaint Eastern architecture, whose daring rivers Rienza (north), Piave (east and southeast), Brenta the land areas that are today North America and the part pinnacles derive their charm from a studied defiance (southwest), Adige (west) and Isarco (northwest). It includes of Eurasia to the north of the Alpine-Himalayan mountain of the sober principles of stability.... The Dolomites

> are strange adventurous experiments, which one a number of peaks, eighteen of which exceed 3000 chain, whereas Gondwana included present-day South can scarcely believe to be formed of ordinary rock. meters in elevation; the highest point is the Marmolada America, Africa, peninsular India, Australia, Antarctica and They would have been fit background for the garden of Kubla Khan,” wrote Leslie Stephen in The Play- massif (3342m). The long and complex geological and the Eurasian regions south of the Alpine-Himalayan arc. ground of Europe (1871). The area awarded UNESCO recognition covers 141,903 hectares in the provinces geomorphological history of this region has created On the floor of this ocean, the Western Tethys or Tethys of Trento, Bolzano, Belluno, Udine and Pordenone. spectacular landforms with huge vertical cliffs, whitish, silver Sea, untoled amounts of continental and marine sediments The mountain groups affected extend from the Bren- ta Dolomites, the westernmost group, to the Rosen- or pink rock pinnacles and towers rising from slopes made were deposited over a period of tens of millions of years. garten and Latemar, on the boundary between South up of darker and brittle rocks and blanketed with woods, In the early Triassic period (>250 million years ago) the sea Tyrol and Trentino; from the Dolomites of Sesto to the Pale di San Martino; from the Marmolada massif 1 pastures and scattered hamlets. Today the area is a prime level began to fluctuate, and over the subsequent 20 to 30 to the group formed by Pelmo and Croda da Lago, destination for summer and winter recreational tourism. In million years it continued to rise and fall, causing in some reaching as far east as the Dolomiti Friulane. 2009 the Dolomites were inscribed in UNESCO’s World places the emergence of land and the consequent erosion Heritage List. The area comprising the World Heritage Site of rocks that had been formed on the sea floor. covers 141,903 hectares of land in five provinces (Trento, The tropical climate of the period favored the Bolzano, Belluno, Udine and Pordenone). Major mountain development of colonies of calcareous algae, the builders ranges under UNESCO tutelage include the Dolomiti di of the first carbonate shelves. In the Ladinian period Brenta, on the west; the group formed by the Rosengarten (234 million years ago), the sea floor began to sink, and Latemar, on the border between the South Tyrol and losing some 1000m of elevation in a few million years. the Trentino; the Dolomiti di Sesto and Pale di San Martino; Building organisms—mostly algae but also sponges and the Marmolada Massif and the group formed by Monte corals—that were adapted to shallow, warm, oxygenated Pelmo and the Croda da Lago, and the Dolomiti Friulane, and clear waters, like those corresponding to present on the east. barrier reefs, fought for their own survival by opposing the progressive subsidence of the sea floor. They quickly built up new reefs stretching upward toward the sea’s surface, Geological history managing in this way to counterbalance the downward thrust of subsidence. In addition, 230 million years ago the The evolution of the Dolomites, as it may be deciphered Dolomite region was affected by major volcanic events, through the study of rock types and relief forms, began accompanied by seismic shocks, seaquakes, submarine

11 landslides and variations of the sea levels, all of which have been identified in the Alps. The coldest phases, during The UNESCO motivations contributed to modify its appearance. Huge amounts of which the annual mean temperatures were lower than the lavas, tuffs and tephra2 products flowed along the reef present ones by roughly six to eight degrees centigrade, slopes causing the extinction of their organisms and the correspond to the so-called “Alpine” glaciations: Donau,

filling up of the deep sea canyons that separated the reefs. Günz, Mindel, Riss and Würm. During the Last Glacial Brief Description The mainly fine filling sediments gave origin to the rock Maximum (LGM), which ended some 15,000 years ago, The site of the Dolomites comprises a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks which rise to above 3,000 metres and cover 141,903 ha. It features some of the types that can be found at the foot of the main Dolomite the Alps were buried under a thick ice cap from which only most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys. A serial property of nine areas that present a diversity groups, and that are covered now by fertile meadows. the sharpest and highest peaks emerged. of spectacular landscapes of international significance for geomorphology marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, the site also contains glacial landforms and karst systems. It These events were followed by phases of stability, During the glacial periods the Upper Val Badia landscape is characterized by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches. The property also features one of the best examples of the preservation of Mesozoic carbonate documented between the late Ladinian and the early was characterized by ice masses that completely invaded platform systems, with fossil records. Cretaceous period (227 million years ago), which allowed the main valleys and merged with other ice bodies from the environmental conditions suitable for the development of surrounding valleys through the Gardena, Campolongo new building organisms to be reestablished. The almost and Valparola–Falzarego passes. These episodes of glacial Outstanding Universal Value total absence of subsidence processes permitted the ‘transfluence’ are substantiated by allochthonous rock growth of huge reefs that could now spread also laterally debris that was deposited at elevations higher than the Brief Synthesis. The nine components of The Dolomites World Heritage property protect a series of highly distinctive mountain landscapes that are of exceptional natural beauty. as well as vertically, on top of terrigenous sediments. Dolomite passes. For example, fragments of metamorphic Their dramatic vertical and pale coloured peaks in a variety of distinctive sculptural forms is extraordinary in a global context. This property also contains an internationally important This evolution came to an end in the late Carnian rocks from the Val Pusteria (some 30km away) have been combination of earth science values. The quantity and concentration of highly varied limestone formations is extraordinary in a global context, whilst the superbly exposed geology period (224 million years ago), when the ocean withdrew found just above the Gardena Pass. The flow direction of provides an insight into the recovery of marine life in the Triassic period, after the greatest extinction event recorded in the history of life on Earth. The sublime, monumental and colourful and the Dolomite region became a low, flat seaboard with these great glaciers must therefore be from the Val Pusteria landscapes of the Dolomites have also long attracted hosts of travellers and a history of scientific and artistic interpretations of its values. brackish lagoons where the sand, gravel and clay of what towards the village of La Villa (along the Val Badia) and from Criterion (vii): The Dolomites are widely regarded as being among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world. Their intrinsic beauty derives from a variety of spectacular vertical is now the Raibl Formation was deposited. In the Norian the Val d’Isarco toward Corvara (over the Gardena Pass). forms such as pinnacles, spires and towers, with contrasting horizontal surfaces including ledges, crags and plateaux, all of which rise abruptly above extensive talus deposits and period (223 million years ago) a new phase of sea floor The highest portions of the Dolomite plateaus used to host more gentle foothills. A great diversity of colours is provided by the contrasts between the bare pale-coloured rock surfaces and the forests and meadows below. The mountains rise subsidence began, accompanied by the construction local glaciers that, by overflowing from these relatively flat as peaks with intervening ravines, in some places standing isolated but in others forming sweeping panoramas. Some of the rock cliffs here rise more than 1,500 m and are among the of new reefs. Thus began the creation of the Dolomia areas, joined the main ice tongues. These glaciers were highest limestone walls found anywhere in the world. The distinctive scenery of the Dolomites has become the archetype of a “dolomitic landscape”. Geologist pioneers were the first Principale that is the main formation of the western able to dig cirques in the dolomite rocks. to be captured by the beauty of the mountains, and their writing and subsequent painting and photography further underline the aesthetic appeal of the property. Dolomites (Sella, Gardenacia). From about 10,000 years ago to date, with the Starting in the Jurassic period (210 million years ago), reduction of glacial conditions (which today persist only on Criterion (viii): The Dolomites are of international significance for geomorphology, as the classic site for the development of mountains in dolomitic limestone. The area presents a wide the sea became deeper and deposition began of fine the Marmolada Massif) the environment has progressively range of landforms related to erosion, tectonism and glaciation. The quantity and concentration of extremely varied limestone formations is extraordinary in a global context, including sediments that are only occasionally found in the Dolomite taken on its present characteristics through the activity of peaks, towers, pinnacles and some of the highest vertical rock walls in the world. The geological values are also of international significance, notably the evidence of Mesozoic carbonate region, as they were eroded in the subsequent phase, gravitational processes, surface waters, snowmelt and platforms, or “fossilized atolls”, particularly in terms of the evidence they provide of the evolution of the bio-constructors after the Permian/Triassic boundary, and the preservation of the uplifting of the Alpine chain. This process, in which frost shattering. Important landslides have occurred in the relationships between the reefs they constructed and their surrounding basins. The Dolomites also include several internationally important type sections for the stratigraphy of a section of the earth’s crust was folded and deformed the form of rock falls from dolomite cliffs, or earth slides/ the Triassic Period. The scientific values of the property are also supported by the evidence of a long history of study and recognition at the international level. Taken together, the by lateral compression to form the Alpine arc, started in earth flows on the terrigenous slopes. Most of the large combination of geomorphological and geological values creates a property of global significance. the Cretaceous period and led to the convergence of the landslides of the Dolomite region took place during the African continent with the European. A first consequence phase of the glaciers’ withdrawal. In the areas located was the closure of the Tethys Ocean; later the continents at higher elevations—above 2200m—landforms whose Integrity actually collided. In the eastern and central Dolomites the genesis is linked to the presence of snow and the effect of The nine component parts that make up the property include all areas that are essential for maintaining the beauty of the property and all or most of the key interrelated and earliest orogenic (mountain-building) phases are ascribable frost and snowmelt cycles can be observed. These include interdependent earth science elements in their natural relationships. The property comprises parts of a national park, several provincial nature parks and Natura 2000 sites, and a to the Eocene period (58 to 37 million years ago). The uplift protalus ramparts, elongated or arcuate ridges prevalently natural monument. Buffer zones have been defined for each component part to help to protect it from threats from outside its boundaries. The natural landscapes and processes that continues today (though not nearly so intensely), and is arranged parallel to the slope, which result from the sliding are essential to maintaining the property’s values and integrity are in a good state of conservation and largely unaffected by development. responsible for the Mediterranean Sea’s tendency to of rock debris on steep snow surfaces; and vast scree closure. fields at the foot of sheer dolomite cliffs, which give the In the millennia that followed the uplift (and consequent high-mountain terrain an eerie, lunar air. Management and protection requirements emergence from the sea) the Dolomite reliefs were sculpted As a serial property, the Dolomites require an adequately resourced, inter-provincial governance arrangement that ensures all five provinces with territory in the property are bound and modeled through geological time by atmospheric together within a common management system, and with an agreed joint management strategy and a monitoring and reporting framework for the property as a whole. Common policies agents, the force of gravity, surface water and ice, Flora and fauna and programmes for the management of public use and the presentation of the property are also required for the property and its buffer zones. The property requires protection from which worked together to transform them into the most tourism pressures and related infrastructure. Each of the component parts of the serial property requires its own individual management plan, providing not only for the protection and beautiful natural architecture in the world, as Le Corbusier The Dolomites are famous for their long periods of fair management of land use, but also the regulation and management of human activities to maintain its values, and in particular to preserve the qualities of its natural landscapes and remarked.3 These shaping activities took place in very weather. The climate is generally much milder than in the processes, including extensive areas which still have wilderness character. Areas that are subject to more intensive visitation need to be managed to ensure visitor numbers and activities different climatic conditions. Over the past two million northern or central Alps, a fact that results in a wide variety are within the capacity of the property in relation to the protection of both its values and the experience of visitors to the property. Adequate resources and staffing, and coordination years, temperate periods like the present one followed of flora. The vegetation is very lush, and the high alpine between the staff teams in the different components of the property are also essential. glacial periods that left indelible traces on the land. At least meadows and woods are extraordinarily beautiful. In the five glaciations, each one followed by interglacial phases, early spring the meadows are dotted with crocuses; a few Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1237

12 13 2 weeks later dandelions dominate. There are also several hunting areas located at the highest elevations simpler, Foreign domination of the most remote valleys did not larger towns (Cortina d’Ampezzo, Agordo, Alleghe, San rare species of wildflower—for example, the tufted horned temporary encampments were established. begin until the end of the Roman Empire, when Lombards, Martino di Castrozza, or Canazei) reach figures of over ten rampion (Physoplexis comosa), edelweiss (Leontopodium The Dolomites are located at the southern extreme of Ostrogoths, Franks, Slavs and Bavarians settled in the thousand inhabitants, and the cities bordering the area of alpinum) alpine poppy (Papaver alpinum) and yellow the area occupied by the Hallstatt culture, a Late Bronze region. In the early Middle Ages the Dolomites entered the Dolomites—Belluno, Feltre, Trento and Bolzano—are anemone (Anemone ranunculoides). Conifers rule the Age and Early Iron Age population of Central and Western the dominions first of the Ostgrogoths, and later of the so close that residential tourism is minimal. forests, particularly spruce and larch. There are also Europe that takes its name from the 2000+ tombs found in Lombards. When the Lombard kingdom was destroyed by extensive pine forests on south-facing slopes. Autumn excavations conducted at Hallstatt, Austria, in the second Charlemagne (774 CE) the territory was incorporated in the is especially beautiful, with the larch needles turn golden half of the nineteenth century. The inhabitants of our area kingdom of the Franks. With the decline of the Carolingian Green infrastructure: parks yellow, setting the trees apart from their background belonged to the subculture of La Tène, whose name Empire the area was annexed to the Duchy of Bavaria, of deep green fir trees and snow-dusted peaks. In the comes from an archaeological site at the eastern end of except the southernmost part, which was attached to the Today, the Dolomites World Heritage Site can rely on a southernmost valleys, as well as near Pieve di Cadore, Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland and has been extended to Germanic Regnum Italiae. Under the Saxon Ottonians, dense network of green infrastructure, including a national Agordo and Fiera di Primiero, dense forests of deciduous distinguish the culture of the late Iron Age Celts. The La in the tenth century, the Dolomites were included in the park, numerous provincial parks and EU Natura 2000 trees may also be found. Tène culture originated in the mid-fifth century BCE, when margravate of Verona. The influence of the ecclesiastical sites, and a natural monument. The implementation and As the integrity of ecosystems in the Dolomites the Celts came into contact with Greek and Etruscan princes became increasingly powerful, soon enabling the management of Dolomythos will be simplified, and the Fossil remains of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean diminishes under the pressure of human activities, so does influences from the south side of the Alps; it went through Patriarchate of Aquileia to take possession of the whole costs of the project, contained, by using the physical the richness and variety of wildlife. Although some species several phases and regional variations in the four centuries 2 Block of main dolomite with magalodons from region. resources (well-marked and well-maintained trails) and Rio Bianco. have become accustomed to the proximity of humans (it is that followed, but came to an end in the second and first In 1487 war broke out between the County of Tyrol and human resources (visitor centers, alpine guides and nature 3, 4 Ammonite fossil from Fanes. not uncommon to sight marmots in the popular Valparola– century BCE, when most of the Celts, including those who Venice and a boundary line was drawn that was destined interpreters) of this existing network. The material field of Falzarego area) others have not (the largest herds of had settled in the Dolomites, lost their independence to to endure for centuries: the Cadore area remained under action of Dolomythos will include all nine contiguous areas chamois have retreated to elevations of up to 3000m). Rome. There is extensive evidence of Celtic settlement Venice, whereas the Ampezzano was annexed to the designated as World Heritage; additionally, Dolomythos Many species, such as deer and roe deer, still inhabit the predating the advent of the Romans, and some suggestion County of Tyrol. This arrangement was suspended only will act in the immaterial, or cultural field, highlighting the forests in large numbers. Crows are the most prevalent that Ligurians and Etruscans may also have reached the during the Napoleonic Wars; at the Congress of Vienna narrative tradition of the four main language groups in the 3 bird species, together with jackdaws, which prefer rocky area. the absolute power of Venice was replaced by a Lombard- area, with particular attention to the two native Romance regions. The most common reptile is the lizard, which It is difficult to say how the Iron Age inhabitants of Venetian kingdom. After the unification of Italy (1865) the languages, Ladin and Friulian. dwells on the sunny slopes in regions very close to the the Dolomite valleys lived. Excavations suggest a farming border between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro- The strategy of taking the region’s publicly protected valleys, especially in the warmer months of summer. culture that erected places of worship at high elevations Hungarian Empire also passed through this area. As a natural landscape as a stage for the presentation of cultural and used an alphabet rooted in that of the Etruscans. The consequence, during the First World War the Dolomites heritage is particularly opportune, as many of the narratives oldest written document found in the area to date is a small became a theater of conflict in a war of attrition where very of more dramatic impact, or greater historical importance, Human context stone stele with an inscription unearthed at an elevation of little ground was gained or lost by either side. Following are set within the parks or in adjacent areas. The Sciliar- 2100 meters, on Mont de Pore, between Andraz and Colle the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1919, the Catinaccio Nature Park, for example, develops around At the end of the Ice Age, some 11,000 years ago, the Santa Lucia. The interpretation of the inscription of this entire territory was annexed to Italy. the Catinaccio Range (Ger. Rosengarten); the mountains coat of ice covering the Dolomites began to melt and the isolated finding is still controversial. The region attracted the first modern visitors thanks take their name from the Legend of King Laurin, who held glaciers, to retreat. Numerous plants and animals made The Romans who invaded the southern Alpine valleys to its importance in mountaineering: the highest peaks his court in a garden of wild roses here. And the Fanes their way into the higher mountain regions, and Stone called the tribes they found there Raeti (Rhaeti, Rheti, or were conquered between 1860 and 1890,4 first by English Saga takes place at various locations within or adjoining Age hunters followed them. This first form of economic Rhetii). Though the Roman province Raetia included the climbers, then by Germans and Italians. By 1870 rail the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park: the Croda Rossa, exploitation of the Dolomites was followed by repeated Dolomites, the territory was never fully colonized, due links and hotels had been constructed to encourage an Alpi di Sennes/Fosses, Conturines, Alpi di Fanes, Croda 4 waves of colonization: several hundreds of generations to the complex branching of the valleys; the inhabitants élite tourism centered more on enjoyment of the pure Vanna (Lad. Sass dla Crusc), Lago d’Argento, Plan de carried out the laborious tasks of clearing the land and driven from the fertile main valleys retreated into solitary mountain air and breathtaking landscape than on athletic Corones, Monte Amariana, Pralongià, the Furcia dai Fers, building the fortified villages, mountaintop sanctuaries upland valleys, clearing and cultivating the land there and undertakings. The inhabitants of the Dolomite valleys often Lake Braies, and others. and interregional trade routes that were the region’s first establishing new communities. Along the great Roman worked in the service of these guests. Over time, some Rollout will start by creating synergies with selected organized settlement structures. highways of the valley floors, new settlements were built founded their own businesses and—around 1900—began parks in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, then be For millennia, family clans of hunter-gatherers and or existing settlements were enlarged—Sebatum (San to teach the urbanites the new sports of hiking and skiing. extended to the provinces of Trento, Belluno, Udine and primitive farmers wintered in the main valleys, moving in Lorenzo) in Val Pusteria, Brixina (Bressanone) in the Val After 1945 tourism became the main source of revenue in Pordenone. Profiles of the parks identified for the initial summer to high-mountain hunting grounds, mostly above d’Isarco, Pons Drusi (Bolzano) and Tridentum (Trento) are the Dolomites.5 action follow. 2000 meters. The game increased in these areas thanks examples—but Roman influence penetrated into the minor Although the area is still largely given over to tourism to the improved climatic conditions of the Middle Stone valleys of the Dolomites in decidedly more gradual and less (especially in winter), public initiatives to protect the Age, and the lack of tree cover at high elevations made systematic forms. The territory as a whole was subdued mountains and their extraordinary biological diversity Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio hunting easier than on the valley floor. Base camps were only in 15 BCE, after which Roman rule remained in have ensured that the crowds of visiting urbanites are not established in spots just above the tree line and often near place for five centuries. The different cultural and linguistic ubiquitous and that places can be found where nature The Sciliar-Catinaccio (Schlern-Rosengarten) nature mountain passes. Some of these shelters, exploiting the heritages of the region fused, so that large parts of the reigns supreme. Fortunately the construction of second park covers a total area of 6796 hectares in the western natural overhand of the rocks and enclosed by branches Alpine territory came to be inhabited by a “Ladin,” rather homes has not been so common here as in other valleys Dolomites and incorporates the Alpe di Siusi Protected of various sizes, remained in use for several centuries. In than a Roman, people. of the Alps (although there are exceptions), none of the Landscape Area. The Sciliar massif, with its two peaks,

14 15 Punta Santner and Punta Euringer, is considered one of Biological communities. On the Sciliar’s north and west 7 the emblems of the South Tyrol. The highest point of the sides grow vast conifer forests consisting mainly of spruce, massif is Monte Pez (2563m). The forests of Tires, Fiè and with the occasional Scots pine, silver fir, ash, birch and Suisi and the Val Ciamin (Tschamintal) are all part of the park mountain ash. A band of Scots pine surrounds the little and, thanks to an extension of the Protected Landscape pond known as the Laghetto di Fiè, and Swiss pine grows in the Municipality of Tires, since 2003 the Catinaccio at the entrance to the Sciliar Gorge, a deep fissure that (Rosengarten) Range has also been fully safeguarded. .cuts through the massif from north to south. The slopes of Monte Cavone (Tschafon, 1,743m) are blanketed Physical environment. Nowhere in the Dolomites is the with beautiful woodlands of spruce, larch and pine. The story of the birth and development of the mountains so deepest, most remote forests, thick with undergrowth and alive and tangible as it is here. During the Triassic period dwarf shrubs, are home to the capercaillie, the magnificent reef-building and volcanic eruptions beneath the surface of large, black alpine grouse. Woodpeckers and owls nest the Tethys Ocean gave rise to a wide variety of rocks. The in well structured stands of very old trees, and alpine basal layer of the park’s mountains is composed in most marsh tits and nutcrackers inhabit the forests at higher places of dark red Bozener quartz porphyry. Over this lies elevations Val Gardena sandstone, whose iron content colors the As numerous legends suggest and the scientific surrounding soil bright red. Upper Permian (Bellerophon) analyses of peat bogs demonstrate, for thousands of years The fantastic rock shapes and vertiginous walls typical of the Dolomites provide a solid basis for and Lower Triassic layers follow; Werfen, Wengen and the Alpe di Siusi was almost completely covered by dense the construction of fairy tales and legends. San Cassiano layers underlie the highland plateau known conifer forests. These woodlands were slashed and burned 5-6 Lights and shadows of the Pale di San Mar- as the Alpe di Siusi. The high clay content of the soil in to create the meadows one sees today, with their colorful tino. this area supports an abundance of streams, springs and carpet of heath, grass and marsh vegetation. The wetlands 7 Detail of the imposing west face of the Fanes bogs. and stream banks continue to support a variety of mosses, highlands. The peculiar shape of the Sciliar is a direct consequence sedges and rushes, as well as birds-eye primroses and of the massif’s lithology. Sciliar dolomite, which takes its butterworts. The most common wildflowers are saxifrages name from this mountain, characterizes the coral structure of various kinds, modified by anthropization and the use of all the western Dolomites; in the Sciliar, underwater of fertilizers. The first to bloom in the spring are is purple volcanic activity and consequent contact metamorphism mountain saxifrage, accompanied by delicate snowbells, phenomena led to the formation of several additional anemones and crocuses. Rhododendrons grow where the minerals as well. Sandy-clayey Raibl layers overlay the grass is no longer cut for hay. The black grouse dwells Sciliar dolomite across a vast area of the Alpe di Siusi. near the forest’s edge, and Alpine choughs fly right up to Over this rises another Mesozoic formation, the white houses and barns in search of food. The construction of main dolomite that makes up Monte Pez. The leading huts for hikers and back-country skiers has facilitated the fossil of main dolomite, the megalodon (called Kuhtritte, spread of species such as redstarts and ermine. ‘cow track’, by local residents on account of its hooflike During the Ice Age the sheer rock walls of the Sciliar shape), is often found in bedrock and, especially, in the rose well above the ice flows, allowing a large number of scree deposits at the foot of the mountain’s steep flanks. endemic plants to survive the glacial period. Particularly

5 6 6 7

16 11 striking examples are the Campanula morettiana and the Physical environment. The Puez-Odle nature park either contain bedded layers or be unbedded. It is less alpine poppy grow on the north faces of the rocks. On Dolomite tufted horned rampion, a variety of Physoplexis represents a living chronicle of the geological history of soluble than limestone in weakly acidic grounddwater, but the meadows around the Sass de Putia flourish bluebells, comosa. Also present are the Primula auricula or bear’s the South Tyrol and a compendium of the region’s rock it can still develop cavities, ravines and crevasses through Armeria alpina and alpine aster. In the cracks in sedge- ear, Saxifraga facchini, Saxifraga squarrosa, Androsace types and their formative processes. Introduced in passing which water penetrates quickly into the subsoil. Dolomia covered rocks settle small species such as round-leaved hausmannii and Aquilegia di Einsele (Einsel’s columbine). elsewhere in these paragraphs, the region’s main rocks are principale covers the extensive Crespeina, Gherdenacia saxifrage, gentian, edelweiss and primulas. Ravens and Chamois can be seen in herds of more than twenty heads; defined and discussed at length here: and Puez plateaus. alpine choughs build their nests in rocky crevices, and ravens, alpine choughs, crag martins, alpine swifts and golden eagles circle the peaks of the Odle and Vallunga. Bozener porphyry plateau: a thick volcanic complex Sciliar dolomite: A solid Triassic sedimentary carbonate golden eagles nest in the steeper areas of exposed rock. covering over 2000 sq. km, with thicknesses locally rock ranging in color from white to light yellow and Human presence. The Ladins, the most ancient ethnic- exceeding 2000m. containing the mineral, dolomite, with a further element linguistic group of the Alps, are among the Raetian peoples Human presence. Prehistoric sites abound in the low made of magnesium carbonate. Gardena sandstone: Upper Permian red beds deposited mountains around Fiè, Siusi and Castelrotto. Finds at who inhabited the alpine arc from Carnia to Switzerland and in a semi-arid setting of alluvial fans, braided streams and Jurassic and Cretaceous formations. The Col de Puez, Ums and Aicha Fiè suggest that these sunny areas may were later Romanized. During the Middle Ages, following meandering rivers. The Permian was the last period of the Col de Muntijela and Col de la Soné are isolated remains of have been inhabited since the Bronze Age, a hypothesis the penetration of Germanic Slavic and Italic tribes and Paleozoic era; starting 299 million years ago and ending the last blocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentations substantiated also by evidence unearthed at Monte cultures, the Raetic-Romans retreated to inaccessible 251 million years ago, it extends from the late Carboniferous (deposited ca. 200–65 million years ago). The fosil-rich Castello and Plörg. The late medieval poet Oswald von mountain valleys, when they were not assimilated by the period to the beginning of the Triassic. Gardena sandstone Jurassic layers consist of gray-green dolomites, oolites Wolkenstein lived in the Rocca di Castelvecchio, a now- cultures of the new lords. These populations have survived particularly evident amid the scree and meadows at the (limestone consisting of a mass of rounded grains, or ruined twelfth-century castle. down to the present day in three linguistic islands, the foot of the Sas de Putia. ooliths), and red and gray siliceous limestone. Generations of rock-climbers have trained on the walls largest of which comprises the Val Gardena, Val Badia, Val of the Sciliar, and more than a century ago the Rifugio Bellerophon formation: Late Permian facies association d’Ampezzo and Val di Fassa. The Puez-Odle nature park Biological communities. The forested area is limited includes areas of the Val Gardena and Val Badia, together Bolzano (Schlernhaus) became a favorite meeting place suggesting a wide spectrum of depositional environments, to the perimeter of the park and to the beautiful spruce with the ethnically Germanic Val di Funes. for mountaineers in the South Tyrol. The region’s first ski ranging from coastal sabkha (an area of coastal flats woods of the Sas de Putia and the larch groves near slopes (and rope lifts) were established on the snowy subject to periodic flooding and evaporation, which result Val Gardena. Due to the high population density in relation Halsl. A sparse forest of spruce, larch and pine grows in highlands of the Alpe di Siusi, which gradually sacrificed in the accumulation of aeolian clays, evaporites, and salts) to agricultural production potential, at one time the Ladins the Vallunga. Around the Putia Group and especially at the its agro-pastoral character to the pressures of recreational to shallow shelf. The name derives from its characteristic were compelled to farm or graze every square meter of Passo delle Erbe and the Selva della Rodella extensive tourism. In the early seventies a comprehensive landscape fossils of bellerophon gastropods, which lived from the workable land. Intensive farming and woodland grazing stands of Swiss pine have been created by abundant plan for the Alpe was drafted with a view to halting this Ordovician Period (488 to 444 million years ago) to the caused severe soil erosion and consequent landslides, the natural regrowth. Above the forest of tall trees grows urbanizing trend; despite heated protests, provisions were Triassic. Visible at the foot of the Sas de Putia, Odle di scars of which can still be seen on the hillsides of the Val twisted, ground-hugging mugo pine, accompanied by made to limit motor traffic and construction activity, and to Eores and Odle di Funes. Gardena. Wood-carving became an important craft in the an extraordinarily rich flora. The lower layer of vegetation protect the relatively intact areas by creating a park, the Werfen formation: Lower Triassic complex succession valley in the sixteenth century—so important that steps had is composed of mezereon (Daphne mezereum), fairy first to established and administered by the Autonomous of shallow-water carbonate (CO , from shelled mollusks) to be taken in the nineteenth century to protect the native 3 garland (Daphne striata), winter heath, rhododendron and, population of Swiss pine. Today the wood-carvers of the Province of South Tyrol. Farmers objected that restrictions and terrigenous (made of material eroded from the land) especially, berry bushes. The low shrubs, in sun-exposed on agricultural activities would endanger their survival, Val Gardena are world renowned, for the extremely high deposits. The Werfen Formation is 300–400m thick areas of the Malga di Zannes, provide sufficient forage for hunters feared losing their prey, the tourism industry saw quality of their work and for their code of best practices, and is subdivided into several depositional sequences, roe deer even in winter. Chamois dwell on the slopes of their plans to build new ski lifts thwarted, and hoteliers which gives the highest priority to sustainability. recognizable over a wide portion of the Southern Alps. the Vallunga, among the mugo interspersed with grassy predicted an exodus of guests. Just a few years later, Werfen formations characterize the area of the park around moors, and deer migrate seasonally from the Passo delle Val Badia. Beyond the Gardena Pass, the farm buildings however, the town of Fiè, at the initiative of these groups Longiarù. Erbe (Würzjoch) to the Val di Luson. Owls sightings are of the Val Badia are clustered to form small hamlets—viles and others, presented a request to extend the park. in Ladino—which give the landscape of the Ladin valleys La Valle and San Cassiano layers: Volcanics characterizing frequent in the Vallunga. its distinctive character. This traditional form of settlement the mountainsides around La Valle and San Cassiano, In the spring, the Malga di Zannes is dotted with usually includes a handful of farms gathered around a these rocks are rich in marine fossils such as Daonella spring pasque flowers, snowbells, birds-eye primroses Parco Naturale Puez-Odle little square or open space fitted with a fountain and a shells. The interpenetration of Sciliar dolomite, La Valle and crocuses. In summer prevail the bright blues and communal oven. A strong sense of community, a need to layers and San Cassiano layers can be seen along the trail reds of labiatae and scrophulariaceae. Among the most The Puez-Oddle nature park covers 10,196 hectares in the defend people and property from predators and, finally, from the Rifugio Genova to the Forcella di Putia. conspicuous species in the high-mountain meadows are townships of Badia, Corvara in Badia, Funes, San Martino aconite monkshood, white hellebore, the thistle Cirsium optimal use of scarce arable land are the likely reasons Raibl: Raibl layers, distinctly stratified and rich in fossils, in Badia, Ortisei, Santa Cristina in Val Gardena and Selva spinosissimum and dotted gentian. Particularly rare why this model was originally developed. stand out in the landscape for their dark green color. di Val Gardena. species like dwarf rhododendron, yellow lady’s slipper, Val di Funes. The Val di Funes is the green heart of the Thanks to their water resistance, Raibl beds protect the The protected area is bounded on the north by the Turk’s cap and fire lily, grow in the Vallunga. The meadows park, a wedge of bucolic peace lodged between the dolomite beneath them from erosion and also form spring Passo delle Erbe and on the south by the Passo Gardena; are home to a variety of colorful butterflies and beetles, as bustling ski resorts of the Val Gardena (to the south) and horizons, as for example in the Vallunga. to the east it extends to the Val Badia and west, to the well as to black redstarts, wheatears and snow finches. the Plose (north). When work began on the design of the Val di Funes and Val Gardena. The park is considered Dolomia principale: a sedimentary carbonate rock that Rocks and scree. Sedge and sesleria cushions colonize park, in the 1970s, the master plans of the townships in the ‘building yard’ of the Dolomites: here geologists can contains a high percentage of the mineral, dolomite, the scree deposits and cliffs the Putia area; meadow this beautiful amphitheater at the foot of the Odle had find every kind of rock, tectonic upheaval and erosion formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime clary, edelweiss and short spike pedicolare flourish in already been marked with the red lines of ski slopes and characteristic of the Dolomites. mud prior to lithification. It is resistant to erosion and can steep places sheltered from the wind, and butterbur and lifts. An awareness campaign to save the Odle group

18 19 8 gathered over 5000 signatures in support of the park— areas, most watercourses flow underground. For this Only highly specialized plants take root on bare rock or floor of the Val Pusteria and the Passo di Monte Croce including the entire adult population of Funes, the valley’s reason the basins in which karst springs reach the surface in the cracks and crevices between rocks. These include Comelico one finds all the typical rock formations of only township (2500 inhabitants). Today, the Val di Funes and sparkling alpine lakes form are marked by lush local varieties of the tufted horned rampion (Physoplexis the Dolomites. Rough, eroded crags of Sciliar dolomite makes its fortune from milder forms of tourism—mainly vegetation. The most striking of these areas is undoubtedly comosa) and Dolomites cinquefoil (Potentilla nitida), rise from a foundation of Mendola dolomite to form the hiking and back-country skiing—which permit the valley to Fanes’s Lago Verde. edelweiss, Androsace hausmannii, evergreen sedge and Gruppo di Croda and Rocca dei Baranci, Gruppo dei preserve its ecological integrity. blue-green saxifrage. Eagles and ravens build their nests Tre Scarperi, whereas Sciliar dolomite is the lithological Biological communities. Most of the park’s woodlands on ledges or in niches among the rocks. Typical mammals foundation of the area’s most representative peaks, Cima are dense spruce forests. These grow from elevations of include chamois and ibex, the latter recently reintroduced. Undici (3092m), Mount Popera (3046m), Cima Dodici Parco Naturale Fanes-Sennes-Braies 900 to 2000 meters and sometimes include stands of (3094m), Monte Paterno and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo larch and, near the tree line, Swiss pine. As it approaches Human presence. Various locations in the park’s main (2999m), all recognizable by their battlemented structure The Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature park’s 25,680 hectares the tree line the forest gradually thins to small groups valley, the Val Badia, have undergone development as as main dolomite. Here, along the southern edge of the make it one of the largest parks in the South Tyrol. of single trees and, with increasing elevation, individual tourist destinations. At the head of the valley lies one park, layers of Raibl, gray dolomite and brightly colored Its territory includes parts of the townships of Badia, plants in the midst of vast blankets of mugo pine. Scots of Italy’s most renowned ski areas, Alta Badia, which clay loam protect the deep Sciliar dolomite from erosion.

9 Dobbiaco, Braies, Marebbe, La Valle and Valdora. It is pine grows on the arid and scree-covered slopes of the includes a World Cup slope. San Vigilio di Marebbe, on In depressions, impermeable Raibl layers have facilitated bounded on the north by the Val Pusteria on the west by Val dai Tamersc and Valle di Landro. In subalpine areas the its own little upland at the foot of the valley, has lifts to the formation of small lakes (Laghi dei Piani) or green the wooded slopes of the the Val Badia, on the south by spruce forests are not as thick as at higher elevations, and the immense complex of ski slopes at Plan de Corones. alpine meadows. There is only one lake of any size, Lago the southern limit of the province, and on the east by the the forest floor is carpeted with a dense undergrowth of Notwithstanding the valley’s importance as a winter sports di Landro, which gives its name to a narrow valley between Val di Landro. shrubs (blueberry, cranberry and rhododendron) adapted center, time seems to have stood still in the viles scattered Dobbiaco and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Throughout this area to the undecomposed, acidic humus that characterizes over along its flanks as well as in places like the former debris from the peaks has accumulated at their feet, Physical environment. The park’s rock formations are conifer soils. Thanks to the limestone substrate lithology, center of local government, La Pli, where a number of forming vast scree fields. The Valle Campo di Dentro, Val composed almost entirely of the limestone and dolomite basifile plants like butterbur and hairy alpenrose are also monumental stone buildings offer tangible proof of past Fiscalina and Val Rienza have, in the past, been invaded by that originated with the sedimentation of micro-organisms common. The rich shrub layer of the conifer forest provides importance. Of all the Ladin townships of the Val Badia, La major landslides, and many of the streams buried in those on the bed of the Tethys Ocean. The Fanes and Sennes– abundant food for tetraonidae such as the capercaillie and Valle has best preserved its original rural character and is events still flow underground. Fosses highlands are bounded by rocky cirques whose hazel grouse. Martens, foxes, roe deer and nutcrackers the only one that has no ski slopes. outer slopes descend abruptly to the valleys below. The are also common, and birds of prey such as goshawks In the Val Pusteria the sulfur- and iron-rich spring Biological communities. The eastern area of the park rocks of these uplands are composed of main dolomite, and sparrowhawks can frequently be seen. waters that flow from the layers of Bellerophon and is characterized by forests of spruce interspersed with Flora and fauna which also makes up the mountains flanking the Val dai Alpine pastures and meadows cover most of the area quartz phyllite have been renowned since antiquity. The larches, or more rarely, white firs and pines. Deciduous 8 Dotted Gentian, Malga di Zannes, Parco Naturale Puez- Tamersc, in the eastern part of the park, and the Conturines of the park. The meadows are cut for hay once a year, as a Waldbrunn spring, on the north flank of the valley, near trees, especially birch and rowan, can also be found Odle. group, in the southern part. rule. Here as elsewhere pastures and meadows are human Monguelfo, and the Bagni di Valdaora, on the south, were in these groves. The forests grow to an elevation of 9 Tufted horned rampion (raponzolo chiomoso delle Dolo- Throughout the park the landscape is dominated by creations, though they host a wide variety of wildflowers. In miti), Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio. once considered curative. approximately 1900m, offering a habitat to bird species rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. As a result the more arid spots grow arnica, various species of gentian, The leading attractions for summer visitors are Lake such as pygmy and boreal owls, and black, great spotted 10 Chamois in the Dolomiti di Sesto of tectonic slippage, Lias layers (rocks deposited during bistort, golden hawk’s beard and many other species. On Braies, considered the most beautiful in the Dolomites, and (more rarely) three-toed woodpeckers. Roe deer live 10 the earliest epoch of the Jurassic period, as much as 208 intensively grazed areas one mostly finds species resistant and the highland plateau of Prato Piazza, which the in open areas and in high-mountain forests with thick million years ago) have risen almost vertically in some to trampling or not deemed tasty by cattle—tufted hair establishment of the park saved from a destiny like that of underbrush, browsing their way up to the mugo regions in cases, whereas in others they have formed amphitheaters grass, for example, or spikenard. Certain birds (redstart, the Alpe di Siusi. the summer. Capercaillie and black grouse thrive wherever with horizontal steps or terraces. Especially around Lake white wagtail) and mammals (ermine) make their homes they find the berry-rich undergrowth and dwarf shrubs on Limo emerge red ammonitics, limestone formations in or around the huts and barns that have grown up on which they feed. containing large spiral fossils of a suborder of cephalopods, the high pastures, but even ground-nesting species, like Parco Naturale Dolomiti di Sesto Among the most beautiful and harmonious landscape the ammonoidea. pipits, breed successfully here thanks to the late cutting elements in the park are the bright larch groves on the The park’s complex geomorphology is due to these of the grass. The Sesto Dolomites nature park covers an area of 11,635 slopes of the Rocca di Baranci and Cima di Sesto di or differences in its lithology, as well as to the kinds of physical Grass guilds of various extent are found at elevations hectares and includes parts of the townships of Dobbiaco, at the foot of the Croda Rossa. Once the growth of larch and chemical erosion to which carbonate rocks are subject. of 2000 to 2800 meters. The calcareous grasslands of the Sesto and San Candido. Located in the northeastern part was encouraged; in addition to providing valuable timber, More than any other area of the Dolomites, the highlands Dolomites are mostly made up of common moor grass of the Dolomites, the park is bounded on the north by the cattle could graze beneath the trees’ light, feathery foliage. of Fanes, Sennes and Fosses are strongly characterized and evergreen sedge, which frequently are also associated Val Pusteria, on the east by the Val di Sesto, on the south The larch’s deep roots stabilize the soil without limiting by karst phenomena. Carbon dioxide dissolved in the with mountain avens or other sedge species. Also typical by the Province of Belluno and on the west by the Val di the growth of herbaceous species. Gentians, orchids, water has eroded and dissolved the rock, particularly the of this area of the Dolomites are meadow clary, Dolomite Landro. anemones and bluebells bloom on the lean, lightly fertilized Jurassic limestone formations. In these areas one can yarrow, field scabiosa and in some places even edelweiss. floors of the groves. Characteristic barns with larch-shingle see nearly all the geomorphological elements typical of Some specialized plants, such as the bright yellow Raetian Physical environment. The two sides of the Valle di roofs and larchwood walls enrich the rural landscape. karst landscapes, such as grooves, fissures, wells and poppy and round-leaved penny-cress, can grow even Sesto differ greatly in geological structure: the orographic Sedge mats cover much of the Sciliar dolomite, though sinkholes, in which perennial (or more often, temporary) in unstable, nutrient-poor substrates such as screes. In right includes the western ramifications of the Carnian grassy meadows also exist at the higher elevations. On lakes form. alpine meadows one often comes upon marmot burrows. ridge (Monte Elmo, 2434m), made up of gently undulating ridges and summits exposed to winds Bellardi bog sedge The arid landscape of these wind-whipped plateaus Mountain hare and rock ptarmigans can occasionally be porphyroid schists and tuffs; the orographic left is the (Elyna myosuroides) prevails. Colorful seslerieto (a plant shows a distinct scarcity of surface water: as in all karst seen in remote, boulder-strewn areas. northeastern ramification of the Dolomites. Between the guild in which Sesleria varia predominates), colonizes

20 21 steep, sunny slopes. One of the most typical inhabitants highway connecting Northern Europe to Venice, it is key of the high meadows is the pipit, a passerine bird with element in the Dolomites’ modern architectural heritage. medium-to-long tail, grayish-brown plumage on the back More evidence of the Dolomites’ role in modern history and pink on the breast. The meadows are also frequented is to be found on the mountains’ summits. In May 1915 the by large mammals such as chamois. region’s development as a recreational tourism destination Two-thirds of the territory of the park are made up of was abruptly halted. Over the next two-and-a-half years rocks and debris that support only pioneer plants—plants a high-mountain war raged between the Italian and the that thrive in inhospitable areas, favoring subsequent Austrian army in which food and shelter had to be provided colonization by less resistant and specialized species. In to tens of thousands of soldiers forced to endure extreme the cracks between the rocks, in crevices and on ledges conditions, especially in winter. Today the park’s highland some of the most beautiful wildflowers of the Dolomites plateaus are littered with shrapnel and rusty artillery shells, have taken root—Potentilla persicina, dwarf rhododendron, and the mountains themselves are riddled with the caves bear’s ear, blue columbine, yellow yarrow and mountain and trenches in which thousands of young soldiers, on both bellflower. These species are rare endemics that, growing sides, fought desperately against a common adversary, a on steep south-facing slopes, managed to survive the severe and unforgiving natural environment. last glaciations. Larches and Swiss pines grow with some Today the Dolomiti di Sesto—indeed, the Dolomites as difficulty on the more stable debris piles, interspersed with a whole, face a battle of another kind. Great care must be 11 Viles in the Marebbe area of the Val Badia: large growths of mugo pine. The development of a pioneer taken to ensure the preservation of their ecosystems, and of Curt seen from Brac. vegetation is essential for the formation of humus, within the mountains themselves, in the midst of growing pressure which soil-building microorganisms can develop; even from summer and winter tourism. The National Geographic under ideal conditions, thousands of years must transpire Center for Sustainable Destinations has recently proposed before the soil becomes sufficiently rich and fertile to the concept of geotourism, which it describes as “tourism support abundant vegetation. that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a The undisputed queen of the high mountains is the place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and golden eagle. This large bird of prey, which feeds mainly the well-being of its residents.”7 Geotourism incorporates on marmots, nests on sheltered rock ledges, where every the concept of sustainable tourism—that destinations year it gives birth to one or, more rarely, two offspring. should remain unspoiled for future generations—while Some small birds like alpine finches and alpine accentors allowing for ways to protect a place’s character; it also frequent the higher screes, where they feed on arachnids takes from ecotourism the principle that tourism revenue and springtails. should promote conservation, extending it to culture and history as well—that is, to all distinctive assets of a place. Human presence. The peaks and crags of the park have Dolomythos has been conceived in the framework of these attracted mountaineers since the nineteenth century. It is propositions here that British climbers first discovered the Dolomites, which were previously unknown in sports circles. The locals considered their undertakings extravagant follies: cattlemen went up the mountains only as far as grass 1 The scientific description that follows is drawn from Alfonso grew, and hunters climbed only as high as their prey Bosellini, Piero Gianolla, and Marco Stefani, Geology of the did. In the myths, legends and customs of the region Dolomites, available (www.colletts.co.uk/geology.pdf) and from the excellent pages of the Federazione Italiana Parchi e the mountains were the home of demons, gods, giants Riserve Naturali, www.parks.it. and dwarfs. The British pioneers were soon followed by 2 Tephra is the scientific term for the rock fragments and Germans and Austrians; the first porters and guides were particles ejected by a volcanic eruption. recruited among the more experienced hunters, and their primitive shelters helped shorten the climbs, opening the 3 http://www.nationalgeographic.it/dal-giornale/2010/07/22/ news/le_dolomiti_cuore_di_pietra_della_terra-74276/. area to enthusiasts as well as professionals. In the early twentieth century Dobbiaco became a thriving tourist 4 Antelao, 1863; Sorapis, 1864, Cima Grande di Lavaredo, 1869; Cimon della Pala, 1879; Pelma, 1877. center and a whole suburb of new hotels grew up on

its outskirts. Many of these early establishment are now 5 Statistical analyses of tourism are conducted once or twice gone, but the world-renowned Grand Hotel Dobbiaco annually at the Provincial level.

has recently undergone an award-winning restoration 6 Source: http://www.provincia.bz.it/natura/ promoted by the provincial government. Together with the 7 geotourism_charter_template.pdf. Available at http:// historic summer homes and townhouses that document travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/sustainable/about_ Dobbiaco’s former importance as a stage stop on the geotourism.html.

24 23 1 intervention

layering meanings

Dolomythos will capitalize on the new opportunities for and presentation, but all will be instructive and compelling. 1 There are few examples of historic buildings so perfectly combined with contemporary architecture wide-ranging communication offered by the World Wide Where a listening center is located outdoors, recourse will as Maya Lin’s Langston Hughes Library (1999): this Web and on the wi-fi connectivity that is increasingly be made to wi-fi enabled hand-held devices, which permit reinterpretation of a nineteenth-century barn brings new life to the building while creating a space that available in the Dolomites to develop a series of hotspots, content to be communicated in a way that requires no speaks of both eras. or listening centers, at strategic locations along the region’s permanent physical installations other than those already hiking trails. This action will be carried out throughout the in place for general use. In architectural interiors, especially area recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage. those of historic significance, the presence of electronic components will be treated in a non-invasive way, so as to be unobtrusive, even invisible, to the public and compliant A vertical landscape with the highest standards of historic and architectural preservation. A Dolomythos team of acknowledged experts will advise In addition to advising the UNESCO Dolomites the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation (the public body Foundation on the creation of listening centers, the established in 2010 to manage the World Heritage Site), Dolomythos team will oversee the making of the aural theater on the selection of architects and landscape designers to productions that will be the product’s principal deliverable. restore degraded or derelict land or buildings for use as The team will coordinate the work of playwrights, actors listening centers. This advisory capacity shall cover the and technicians with a view to producing real drama for widest range of environments from the most rudimentary representation, both on and off site. architectural structures, such as barns and sheds, to large Off-site representation will take place via a website landscapes damaged by meteorological events, natural devoted to the narratives and their relationship with the catastrophes such as avalanches and landslides, or land, an attractive and informative site presenting written human activities. text, maps, images and sound files, as well as interactive Listening centers will provide the technology needed to forums, resources or teachers and students, etc. Within the present all listeners, visitors and residents, with narratives Dolomites World Heritage Site access to the website will drawn from the oral heritage of the region’s Germanic, be provided via touch-screen kiosks at visitor information Ladin, Friulian and Italian linguistic groups. Translation centers and/or hotels, and of course via applications for and commentary will be strategically managed to facilitate iPhone/smartphone. The website will also be used for cultural exchange among resident linguistic minorities while communications and public awareness campaigns, under offering the fullest possible range of narratives to visitors the guidance of the Dolomythos team of experts and in from other locations in Italy and Europe. Each narrative close collaboration with existing institutions—national, presentation will differ from the others in terms of content provincial and local parks, tourist information networks

25 and important cultural institutions, such as the Istitut implementation of pilot projects. 2

Cultural Ladin at Vico di Fassa and the Ladin Museum h. Introduce the use of traditional practices for the at San Martino in Badia, which are already engaged in carrying out of works of reclamation and restoration the protection of the Dolomites’ tangible and intangible and stimulate a participatory approach to the choice heritage. of technological infrastructures. To achieve these objectives Dolomythos will create and i. Promote codes of procedure that adopt traditional maintain a lively, dynamic cultural debate focused on the knowledge in the management of parks, protected project’s core concerns; establish strategic partnerships areas and UNESCO sites. with public and private institutions in Europe and the world; achieve financial self-sufficiency on the basis of a j. Contribute to the protection of local traditions and purpose-built capital endowment, and create income from cultural differences. activities, merchandising programs and subscriptions (Friends of Dolomythos). All negotiations necessary for project rollout, and Project costs particularly those related to the legal and financial configuration of Dolomythos, will be completed by 2013. The cost of translating Dolomythos from idea to reality, Preparations for the first year of operation (opening of a and of implementing of a number of listening centers (12- temporary headquarters, recruitment, identification of 15) sufficient to create a first stream of visitors, is around locations, with the first agreements with stakeholders) will 180,000 euros. The unit cost of each additional listening take place in 2014. Initial activities will take place in 2015. center can vary between 3000 and n euros, depending on the importance of conservation and/or restoration work required and the degree of development that one wishes to

Project management give the center itself (some listening centers, for example, can also accommodate libraries or other research and

Dolomythos is a project conceived and developed by study facilities). An investment of 120,000 euros should landscape designer Paul Blanchard under the auspices be sufficient to create the first deliverables (12–15 works of ITKI, the International Traditional Knowledge Institute, a of aural theater). The total cost of rollout can therefore be UNESCO Category 2 non-profit organization. ITKI’s mission estimated in the neighborhood of 300,000 euros. 2 The library houses a collection of 5000 referen- is to promote traditional knowledge and its innovative use ce volumes, plus a reading room in a markedly modern interior that makes extensive use of in all areas of human endeavor, particularly where that natural materials. knowledge may contribute to the creation or preservation What are listening centers? of ecological integrity, social cohesion and economic well- being. The organization’s strategic goals are: Listening centers can be simple or complex, urban or rural, set in expressly restored historic structures or a. Identify, study and inventory traditional knowledge. placed in exterior settings created to accommodate them b. Assure the preservation of traditional knowledge and as a part of larger reconciliation ecology projects. In any cultural heritage as living heritage. event, listening centers will always be non-invasive and c. Encourage and advance the spread of traditional ecologically sustainable. knowledge from the local level to the international In towns or near villages, where it is reasonable to level. assume higher visitor circulation, listening centers may d. Promote integration between traditional knowledge offer a range of ancillary services—a library dedicated to and the scientific system and stimulate the innovative the oral-narrative tradition, a small interactive museum, a use of traditional knowledge. conference and events facility, a shop for a merchandising activities. These urban or semi-urban listening centers, e. Protect the rights of local communities and native although complex and articulated, will always be more peoples who are the holders of traditional knowledge humble than the area’s basic cultural structures—the Istitut and indigenous science systems. Cultural Ladin at Vico di Fassa, for example, the Museum f. Further the spread and innovative use of traditional Ladin at San Martino in Badia, or the Istituto Regionale per il knowledge for the management of cultural heritage Patrimonio Culturale del Friuli—with which they will interact and the protection of ecosystems. in ways that are complementary and not competitive.1 g. Promote the application of traditional knowledge To better understand what a Dolomythos listening to the restoration and sustainable redevelopment center of the complex type might look like, these pages of cultural assets as living heritage through the present the example of the Langston Hughes Library,

26 Four examples of possible places for outdoor listening designed in 1999 by the American architect Maya Lin because the oral narrative tradition is a complex matter 3 4 centers for the Children’s Defense Fund in Clinton, Tennessee that requires a wide range of specific professional skills 3 A morainic hill: a spectacular viewpoint over the (USA). The small private library, which houses a non- to be presented properly. One will learn from the website surrounding territory. circulating collection of 5000 volumes is historic barn, and the “museum-grade” displays at complex listening 4 A rock wall: a dramatic backdrop to the imagination achieves many of the goals to which Dolomythos aspires. centers the defining characteristics of the practice of oral of characters and events. The architect says: “The design of the Langston Hughes storytelling, as well as the social environment in which it 5 A dry brook: a natural stage. Library maintains the integrity and character of the old takes place or took place. Suffice it to say, for now, that 6 A sunny stone: an ideal resting point. barn while introducing a new inner layer. This integration it is a form of communication in which “the tales have not of old and new [made it possible] to leave the main body yet acquired the status of a specific product for children, of the building exposed and untouched and build the but are told by adults for adults, or if one prefers, are library within the existing structure. The interior expresses aimed at a general audience, and the possible presence the idea of a separate inner skin slipping inside the old of children and young people does not imply that they barn. It is only at the points where the two layers meet are the privileged recipients of the narratives.”3 To treat that one becomes aware of the transition from old to new. fable, an outcome collective creation, with the same The buildings incorporate recycled and green materials scholarly attention that is normally devoted to literature by throughout, and the mechanical system is connected to a famous authors, is to address a key concern of European nearby pond that acts as a natural heat sink which helps literary history: the opposition between Naturpoesie and regulate the temperature of the buildings.”2 Kunstpoesie, which was a central theme of Romanticism. In more remote settings, the many abandoned or If fables are viewed as Naturpoesie , then they must also underutilized huts and barns offer excellent opportunities be recognized as instruments with which a community to create “simple” listening centers: in these cases just a of authors conveys its collective values and spirit. From few devices—a renewable energy source (a micro wind this perspective Dolomythos cannot limit its action to the turbine, for example), systems to sense the presence mere creation of works of architecture and landscape. and provenance of visitors (infrared motion detectors It must also become a powerful tool of sociological and and speech recognition software), storytelling equipment anthropological research. (a sound system or, where appropriate, video projection system)—to transform a neglected architectural structure into an important cultural resource . In high-mountain areas, in the woods, meadows and expanses of mugo pine, even on the steep walls of rock, 5 6 it takes little to create a place for outdoor listening. The

GPS and wi-fi enabled handsets that increasing numbers 1 The Istitut Cultural Ladin is located in the historic Tobià de la of people already possess, and others can borrow or rent Pieif, a monumental barn adjacent to the rectory of Pieve di Fassa. Its mission includes “the collection, classification and from Dolomythos kiosks in town, permit the transmission study of materials relating to the history, economy, language, of content in most locations and in all but the most severe folklore, mythology, manners and customs of the Ladin weather conditions without the need of signage or other people.” In addition, the institute “promotes the spread of the Ladin language and culture through the media, works with fixed gear on site. The use of this existing technology schools to enhance and develop the teaching of language and for the creation of places for outdoor listening makes it supports the organization of a continuing program of adult literacy” (http :/ / www.istladin.net/web/index.asp?id=30). possible to listen to the legends of the Dolomites in the The Museum Ladin occupies the castle of San Martino, places where they are set. In these cases, the competent the core of which dates back to the fourteenth century. local authorities (township, province, Forest Service, The museum “highlights some particular circumstances of Italian Alpine Club), assisted by a Dolomythos landscape the past and present life of the Dolomite Ladin, noting the important influences of supra-regional events on the life of this architect, will be tasked with identifying the site (sunny population and pointing out correlations between landscape and sheltered from the wind!) where hikers can drop their forms and ways of life” (http://www.museumladin.it/castello/ schloss-it.htm). summer backpacks and winter snowshoes for a brief stop in the company of imaginary inhabitants of the Pale The Istituto Regionale per il Patrimonio Culturale del Friuli, established in 2010, focuses on international cooperation, Mountains. inventory and restoration of cultural heritage, and support services to museums, archives and libraries in the region (http://www.quotidianoarte.it/nl/ quotidianoarte_content_ 2088.mn). Working with existing organizations 2 http://www.mayalin.com.

In every phase of its work Dolonythos will act in harmony 3 Giuseppe Gatto, La fiaba nella tradizione orale (Milano: CUEM with the existing organizations in the area. This is also 2004).

28 7

7 Even above the tree line, a few rocks and a bit of mugo pine are sufficient to form the site of a listening center. If the surface is exposed to the sun, the listening center can be a solid stopping point in both summer and winter.

30 1 heritage

material and immaterial wealth

A people’s awareness of its own language is an important language is a means of self-assertion to the outside as well 1 The Latemar at sunset bathed in the warm part of its cultural heritage. Such a statement may seem as a link between the five valley communities. But what tones of enrosadira. obvious and, in principle, applicable everywhere. But in is most important for the purposes of Dolomythos, it is borderlands, where multiple language groups meet and the sturdiest bond that exists between the contemporary mingle together, their awareness of their linguistic tradition inhabitants of the Dolomites and those Raetian peoples becomes part of consciousness itself. It defines, for each who first colonized the region. Hence in Ladin mythology individual, the contours of being in the world, and it lays one can glimpse the shadow of the original encounter the basis for distinguishing distinctive traits from shared between the wilderness of the Dolomites and the human attributes, experiences and values. imagination. This mythology is presented in the form of Oral narrative is an important intangible asset for every fables and legends, tiles in a narrative mosaic possessing language group and particularly for linguistic minorities, numerous and variously arranged cultural stratifications. So, whose culture is often under an overwhelming pressure while giving due consideration to the language’s prehistoric to comply to the standards of others. In addition to being origins, Dolomythos will flank the stories presented with an intellectual property of incalculable value, oral narrative critical commentary pointing out the importance of the life plays a major role in linguistic communities: now, as in the that each tale has led in historical times—to the passage, past, it offers an unparalleled means of socialization. “One in other words, from mouth to mouth, town to town, which can speak of a theatricality of narrative, a narrative that in has enabled it to spread throughout the area in which it is reality is a complex fact, not a mere verbal act; fact, and found today. not spectacle, because it lacks a key element of spectacle, Is it possible to attribute too much importance to this the distinction between actors and spectators: here the “immaterial landscape” heritage? Italo Calvino provides a spectators do not watch, they participate.”1 forceful argument that it is not: “I believe this: fables are Four distinct language groups—Italian, German, Ladin true. They are, taken all together, in their ever-repeated and Friulian—coexist in the nine contiguous areas of the and always varied inventory of human events, a general Dolomites World Heritage Site. Dolomythos gives weight explanation of life, born in ancient times and preserved in to each of them. One may take as an example the oldest of the minds of the humble farmers who have passed them the three, Ladin. The Ladin language derives from Vulgar down to us; they are the catalog of the destinies that may Latin grafted onto pre-Roman elements; in the Middle befall a man and a woman, especially in the part of life Ages, as in modern times, the geographical location of that is precisely the making of a destiny: youth. From Ladinia, between the Italian and German language areas, birth, which often brings with it a promise or a sentence, contributed to further linguistic development, determining to the separation from home, to the trials of becoming a differences between one valley and the next. Today the mature adult, of being confirmed as a human being. In this

33 2 summary scheme lies everything: the drastic division of the interior landscape together in a single common initiative, living in princes and paupers and their substantial equality; and by harmonizing the interior landscape with the the persecution and redemption of the innocent as terms exterior, Dolomythos will, for the first time, render the of a dialectic within each life; love met before it was character of the region in all its marvelous complexity. recognized and then immediately suffered as a possession lost; the common lot of succumbing to spells, that is, to control by unknown and complex forces, and the effort to Concluding remarks free oneself and determine one’s own fate understood as a primary duty, together with that of freeing others, indeed, The mission of Dolomythos goes beyond the most of not being able to free oneself alone, freeing oneself by immediate objective, the valorization of the natural heritage freeing others; loyalty to a commitment and purity of heart of the Dolomites and the cultural heritage of its symbolic as basic virtues that lead to salvation and triumph; beauty and narrative traditions. Dolomythos intends to use the as a sign of grace, which can be hidden in the humble region’s tangible and intangible assets as a springboard guise of ugliness as in the body of a frog; and especially for broader interpersonal understanding. It will enhance the unitary substance of all, men beasts plants and things, the cultural life not only of residents, but of all who come the endless possibilities of metamorphosis of that which to the area, through the testimony that will be left by those exists.”2 who benefit from its action. At the local level, in the verdant Dolomite valleys, both individuals and communities will be enriched by participation in an initiative that promotes global The Ladin of the Dolomites understanding and improves the quality of development.

Intellectually, Dolomythos sets a new precedent in The Ladin live in in five valleys around the Dolomites’ Sella interdisciplinary collaboration, by involving scholars and Massif, where they still speak a language of ancient origin. writers, architects and landscape designers, actors and Despite their differences, the idioms of the Gardena, Badia, directors, technicians and entrepreneurs in an initiative to Fassa, Ampezzo and Livinallongo valleys are local variants redraw the boundaries of contemporary art—an initiative of the same language, Ladin, which holds a place of its whose outcome will be a choral work of art expressing the own among Romance, or neo-Latin, languages. skills and values of a community that is at once its creators Dolomite Ladin (or Central Ladin, ca. 30,000 speakers), and its primary audience. Dolomythos will immediately is the middle portion of a larger linguistic system that become one of the world’s most renowned projects for includes the Canton of Grisons, Switzerland, the home of the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, thus Romansh (or Western Ladin, ca. 40,000 speakers), and bestowing on the project’s public and private partners a the Italian region of Friuli, where Friulian (or Eastern Ladin, prestige (and an image return) they would hardly be able more than 700,000 speakers) prevails. to achieve otherwise. The three areas are all that is left of a much larger territory that once stretched from the headwaters of the Rhine to the Adriatic and was later diminished and fragmented by the migration of its population and the arrival of linguistic influences originating on the Po-Venetian plain.

Source: http://www.istladin.net/web/index.asp?id=24 1 Giuseppe Gatto, La fiaba di tradizione orale. Milano: Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto, 2006: 35.

2 Italo Calvino, Fiabe italiane. Torino: Giulio Einaudi 1956, I The juridical framework of the Autonomous Provinces of edizione Oscar Mondadori 1968: 15–16. Trento and Bolzano protects the Ladin as a third language group, alongside the German and Italian, and national legislation includes the Ladin community among the linguistic minorities recognized under the principles set forth in Article 3 of the Italian Constitution. In the Ladin valleys of the Dolomites, linguistic consciousness and sense of identity are rooted and supported by a dense network of non-profit associations, whose work has been supported and accompanied in recent decades by that of government-backed institutions and research centers. By bringing these components of the Dolomites’s 22 As the waters of Lake Carezza return an image of the mountain, so the human mind reflects an image of the Dolomites.

35 Photo credits

All photographs are by the author with the following exceptions:

2 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

16 (2) Henry Wells, The fossils of the Dolomites (Bolzano: Tappeiner / Athesia 1993).

16 (3, 4) Provincia di Bolzano/Natura e paesaggio

22 Provincia di Bolzano/Natura e paesaggio

26, 27 Maya Lin Studio [email protected]