It’s easy to support the project to rebuild Serrai di Sottoguda, if you give as Christmas present the box set of 6 DVDs “The Dolomites. Mountains, people and their stories” (30€ – in Italian) or the DVDs “The Dolomites. Journey in the Fossil Archipelago” and “Dolomites. The Economy of the Common Good” (10€ each – in Italian, German and English).
All the proceeds will go to the rescue project for Serrai di Sottoguda, the natural gorge at the foot of the Marmolada whose pedestrian walkway was destroyed by the extreme weather on 29 October 2018.
To purchase them, just send an email to info@dolomitiunesco.info. The Serrai rescue project is supported by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation and also involves a crowdfunding initiative which has already generated a lot of interest, including that of the students of the middle school in Santa Giustina (BL). Now the youngsters are coming to the aid of the suffering mountains.
THE DOLOMITES UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE
The documentary is a rather special Christmas present on many different levels: in the six episodes Piero Badaloni, thanks to the photography and editing of Nicola Berti and the collaboration of Fausta Slanzi, takes the spectator on an extraordinary journey, starting from the creation of the fossil archipelago, followed by the pioneering discoveries of the Dolomites, their artistic portrayal over the centuries, the native flora and fauna and the people who live there and look after them. These are the same people who, after the storm that caused devastation throughout the Dolomites, did not give up hope but rolled up their sleeves and set to work to rebuild what had been damaged. And now this work can be supported by purchasing the box set.
SERRAI DI SOTTOGUDA: NOT ONLY A SYMBOL
As we mentioned before, during the latest meeting of the Board of Directors of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, the directors voted unanimously to support the project to rebuild Serrai di Sottoguda in the municipality of Rocca Pietore (Belluno). The municipal authorities, along with the mayor Andrea De Bernardin, had suggested organising a competition for the best ideas to repair the road that had been destroyed. This gave the Foundation another idea: why not use this opportunity to promote a model intervention? Entries will be judged on their ability to restore flow and absorption to the riverbed and make safe the water and soil, and the solutions proposed must address a number of different aspects: they must cause minimal impact, they must be innovative and able to adapt to the ever-changing climate, they must offer accessibility to people with disabilities and enhance the geology, geomorphology and landscape of the gorge. The overall cost of the project will be in the region of Euro 6 million and will be met partly by the member associations of the Foundation, partly by the Foundation itself (covering the cost of the design stage of the project) and partly by a crowdfunding initiative that will enable everyone to support and take part in the rescue effort.
YOUNGERS HELP (AND STUDY) THE DAMAGED MOUNTAINS…
The news was received with interest and appreciation and the first people to respond to the call to arms of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation were the students of the Rodari Middle School in Santa Giustina (Belluno). “The bad weather didn’t cause an enormous amount of damage in our area” – explains teacher Matteo Masini – “our students experienced the effects of the flooding mainly through the media. However they have been involved in educational projects about the mountains for some time, going on excursions and walks with snowshoes in the Agordino area in particular. When one of our teachers, Beatrice Comel, told us about the project sponsored by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, it was only natural for us to sign up”. The students will be directly involved in raising money for the Serrai rescue project: on 15 and 16 December, accompanied by their parents and teachers, they will sell their works (books about the hamlets in the municipality, watercolours, quilling) at the Christmas markets in Santa Giustina and all proceeds will go to the crowdfunding launched by the Foundation. They have other plans too. They are going to begin an educational project about the UNESCO Dolomites World Heritage, with excursions and meetings with experts. The activities they are planning will not only contribute to the Serrai rescue effort but, more importantly, are in keeping with the spirit of the Foundation’s proposal: to raise the awareness of those living in the World Heritage Site and its values.