Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo

The Ampezzo Dolomites Nature Park protects the mountain landscape around Cortina d’Ampezzo, including the Tofane, Cristallo, Sorapis and Croda da Lago groups. More than 300 kilometres of trails cross the park, which is managed by the Comunanza delle Regole d’Ampezzo.

Why it matters

Established by the Veneto Region in 1990, the park was entrusted to the Regole d’Ampezzo, whose collective management of woods and pastures predates the protected area. It covers about 11,200 hectares and meets the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park across the provincial border, forming a protected complex of roughly 37,000 hectares. The park has no permanent settlements or alpine ski infrastructure; integral and oriented reserves together cover about a quarter of its area. The Dolomites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 for their natural beauty and geomorphology.

What to notice

More than 300 kilometres of trails cross the park, including eight via ferrate and six equipped paths. Some follow First World War walkways in the Fanis–Lagazuoi and Tofana sectors. The park’s emblem is Sempervivum dolomiticum, a small succulent with a red, star-shaped flower that is endemic to the Dolomites. Its landscape includes karst plateaus, larch woods and scree slopes across nine massif sectors, from Averau–Nuvolau to Sorapis and Croda Rossa. Eleven refuges lie within or on the park’s edge.

Context and history

The park occupies part of the ancient undivided property of the Regole d’Ampezzo. Its zoning includes silvo-pastoral areas, where forests and pastures remain under management, and integral reserves. The Comunanza delle Regole d’Ampezzo administers the park from Cortina and also operates the community’s museums. The park is recognised by the European Union as a Site of Community Importance.