UNESCO World Heritage Site
The beauty of the Dolomites is the stuff of legend. The uniqueness and importance of this special region was recognised by UNESCO on 26 June 2009: the institution declared the area covering over 142,000 hectares a World Heritage Site. The Dolomites were thus granted special protection status. UNESCO exclusively recognises regions as World Heritage Sites that are of great significance to humanity. The geological and geomorphological aspects of the Dolomites led to interesting discoveries about the history of the region and the whole planet. Even the imposing shape of the mountains, their breathtaking nature and the uniqueness of this region contributed to the recognition of the status.