Each mountain in the Dolomites is like a piece of art,” said  legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who was born and trained in these mountains in northern Italy, before going on to become the first man to climb all fourteen peaks over 8,000 meters, including the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen. 

Extending from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east, and from the Puster Valley in the north to the Sugana Valley in the south, the Dolomites are almost equally shared among the provinces of Belluno, Bolzano and Trento. It is a serial site that comprises nine areas covering 140,000 hectares in total with many peaks higher than 3,000 meters.