Posted on by Franny Gaede

Northern Italy’s Dolomite region has been breathtaking and extremely profound in telling a story of natural forces. Before arriving, my understanding was that these mountains were unique in their geologic history. After spending five days in Bolzano, Bletterbach and Latemar, I realize the evidence of two tectonic plates coming together is an example of bringing man and nature together. The Dolomites have brought 9 students, 2 guides and multiple geologists together in less than 5 days. I am a believer that if we unite man, we can conserve the places we find sacred- such as the peaks that held stories in Messner’s museum in Bolzano. The sacred region of terrain that shows geologic layers starting with Dolomite and ending in Sandstone at the Bletterbach gorge. And today in the Latemar, where the hikes are designed to immerse humans into nature in a way that makes one forget and remember all in one.

On the theme of uniting together, Messner’s climbing museum featured many rooms with artifacts from all different regions and different religions. Among the religious and spiritual items were prayer flags used in Tibetan Buddhism.

The first rock sculpture in the garden of the museum is that of the Inukshuk, a sacred sculpture made of stones to help people find their way in sacred places.

In the Bletterbach Gorge, despite this being every students first time hunting for fossils, everyone found at least one fossil , and a better understanding on the rocks in which the organic materials reside.

The peak of Dolomite at the top of Bletterbach gorge was formed in the sea 250 million years ago. Once underwater, the sediment is rich in history shown with algae indentations.

The mountains were only completely visible once the hiking group got to the top of Latemar. The difficult journey to get there made the views more special.

The region has strong agricultural practices, which has increased the biodiversity in plant and animal life. Proving that working together in unison can benefit many.