Geography and Landscape of the Dolomites: a Journey through Nature, Memory, and Community
From July 4 to 6, 2025, I participated in the Course on Geography and Landscape of the Dolomites World Heritage Site, promoted by the Giovanni Angelini Foundation, the Dolomiti UNESCO Foundation, and the Department of Historical, Geographical and Antiquity Studies (DISSGeA) of the University of Padua.
Now in its thirteenth edition (see course page here), the course began in Moena with a day of theoretical sessions on Friday. We then moved to the Valle del Biois, in Falcade, the base for two main excursions: Saturday to the Passo di San Pellegrino, and Sunday through the villages of the Ecomuseum of the Valle del Biois, including Feder, Fregona, and Carfon, ending at the Church of San Simon.
In this article, I share some personal reflections, accompanied by photographs and a thematic map related to the Saturday excursion. The topics explored include fragile natural environments, remarkable glacial landforms, and the vital role of local communities in caring for and preserving the landscape.
Lèch de Campagnola: a Natural Archive
Lèch de Campagnola is a small glacial lake located at over 2,200 meters above sea level. Formed in a basin carved by Quaternary glaciers, the area is gradually evolving into a high-altitude peat bog—a precious and fragile environment where plant remains accumulate, preserving the climatic history of the Dolomites. A true natural archive, where specialized flora, stagnant waters, and slow sedimentation processes coexist.
The Rock Glacier of Val Tegnousa: Stone and Ice in Motion
Overlooking the Val Tegnousa, one is struck by the presence of one of the largest rock glaciers in the Dolomites: a “living mass” of debris and ice stretching over two kilometers. Formed after the retreat of a glacier, this debris-covered body continues to move imperceptibly, preserving residual permafrost and shaping the landscape with ridges, furrows, and undulations. It is a “fossil” landform, yet still active, offering insight into climate change, slow geological processes, and the dynamics of alpine terrain.
A Small Map for a Great Landscape
During the Saturday excursion to the Passo di San Pellegrino, we had the opportunity to observe and discuss in the field various glacial phenomena, peat bogs, and complex geomorphological features. To help visualize what we observed, I created a thematic map that summarizes the area explored—particularly the Lèch de Campagnola and the large rock glacier of Val Tegnousa. The map, included in this article along with several photographs, is meant both as a tool for orientation and as a visual support for the story of the landscape.
📥 Download the high-resolution map here
Community and Landscape: the Ecomuseum Experience
Sunday's excursion led us through the villages of the Valle del Biois—from Feder to Carfon, passing through Fregona—up to the beautiful Church of San Simon. It was an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between territory and community. Through the experience of the Ecomuseum, we discovered how the mountain is also a place of memory and social resilience: tabià, former cooperatives, and community gathering spots such as Tabià Feder tell the story of a lived-in mountain, not just a landscape to be admired.
At a time when the mountains risk being reduced to mere “postcard scenery,” these experiences remind us that the value of a place also lies in the human relationships it fosters, in the care for the land, and in the ability to pass down knowledge and identity across generations.
Below are some photos from the course days:
