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General information
The Fanes - Senes- Braies Natural Park was established in 1980 by the Province of Bolzano. It extends across a surface of 25,680 hectares and comprises the villages of: Badia, Braies, Dobbiaco, La Valle, S. Vigilio di Marebbe and Valdaora. It is therefore one of the largest Natural Parks in the region.
To the north the park boarders with the Puster Valley, to the east with the Landro Valley, to the south with the province and the region of Veneto and to the west with the Badia Valley. The entire park area is part of the Dolomites.

The Dolomites
Due to their structure and their composition, the Dolomites are unique in the world. Their origins date back to over 200 million years ago. Some 200 million years ago in a shallow sea which geologists refer to as Tetide, coral reefs began to form in the warm, agitated waters. With the impact of the African and the European continents approx. 200 million years ago, the sea bottom was gradually lowering, the coral, seaweed and a myriad of other tiny organisms continued to raise their constructions in order to stay close to the light. It was this rising of the sediments which formed the Dolomites. This movement has still not concluded, we can however not foresee it. Over the course of millions of years, the mountains were exposed to thunderstorms and the various ice ages. Due to this exposure, the rocks were slowly worn down layer after layer through the impact of water, ice, and wind. This is how the bizarre shapes, that often fascinate us so much, were formed.
The mountains in the Fanes - Senes- Braies Natural Park mainly consist of Dolomite, which is a limestone, less soluble to water than others. Fossils, which give evidence of the presence of the before mentioned micro-organisms, can be found in all the park's mountains.
The name "Dolomites" appeared almost 200 years ago. These mountains received their name in honour of the French geologist Deodat de Dolomieu. He was the first to get this type of limestone analysed and then established a chemical formula: calcium magnesium carbonate.

The phenomenon of karstification
This is the most typical phenomenon in the park and it also attracts the most interest. The Fanes- SenesBraies Natural Park is the most affected area in terms of karstification.
Karstification applies almost exclusively to easily soluble limestone, as it can be found on the Fanes - Senes- Fosses plateaus, and not to Dolomite. The carbonic acid dissolved in water has corroded and dissolved most parts of the existing Jurassic limestone and has thereby shaped these fascinating mountains. Almost all of the classic shapes of karstification can be seen here: grooves, crevices, fissures, shafts and dolines, which are small sinkholes in which alpine lakes often form permanently or more often temporarily.

Water in the Natural Park
Due to the karstification in this area, the Dolomites in Fanes and Senes are mainly characterized by sub-terrain drainage, while a normal water flow above ground can be observed in the Dolomite area in Braies.
During excursions in the natural park many lakes can be admired (Limo Lake, Parom Lake, Piciodel Lake, Fojedöra Lake, Colli Alti Lake). Two of the lakes deserve more attention, since they are located in the valley bottom and fill sediments originating from the ice age: Braies Lake and Dobbiaco Lake.
Last but not least we would like to mention Lé Vert (Verde Lake), which is the only lake with a tributary and outlet system.

Visitor's Centre: Via Caterina Lanz, 96 - 39030 San Vigilio di Marebbe. Phone: +39 0474 506120

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