On the occasion of the 25th edition of the Pelmo d’Oro Award ceremony, held on 29 July in San Tomaso Agordino, the Province of Belluno promoted a new Edizioni Tabacco map dedicated to the “Throne of God” [Caregon del Padreterno] as mount Pelmo is also known. John Ball, the first to conquer the summit on 19 September 1857, called it a “gigantic fortress”. Just a few months later, he founded the Alpine Club, to which the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation has dedicated this year’s Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Special Award, handed out to president Richardson.
An open fortress
The 1:25.000 promotional map was created by Provincia di Belluno and the Neighbouring Municipalities Fund, through the “Big events” project, and the contribution of the Veneto Region and the collaboration or patronage of various organisations including the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation, the Italian Alpine Club, Alpine Rescue, the Veneto Board of Alpine Guides and the Bim Piave Consortium. Not only does the map feature topographical information, but it also indicates trails, mountain huts and bivouacs, and references the tourist offices and Alpine Guides. In addition, it illustrates the geological and environmental aspects that led to the Pelmo, together with Croda da Lago, becoming the first of the nine Dolomites World Heritage systems. There is no shortage of descriptions of Val di Zoldo, Val Boite and Val Fiorentina, which surround the massif, and there are also abundant references to the history of mountaineering, which began right here, and the hiking opportunities (on Alta Via 1 and 3), as well as the curiosities and legends from around this iconic mountain. Not surprisingly, this very mountain was chosen to represent the most important award in mountaineering and alpine culture, which was established twenty-five years ago by the Province of Belluno.
An eye on geology
This new tool for exploring the Dolomites also highlights the geological features of the area – in addition to geological descriptions of the site, the map naturally highlights the dinosaur footprints found on a huge block of stone detached from the Pelmetto and, in addition to other trails, the route of the Dolomites World Heritage Geotrail, which also crosses System 1, is illustrated with the ammonite symbol. Sensitivity to the geology of the Dolomites is growing hand in hand with the need to promote ever slower and more conscious visits to the World Heritage Site.