(, ) is a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-elevation

Alpine meadow Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...

() in Europe. Located in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

province in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...

mountain range, it is a major tourist attraction, notably for skiing and hiking.

Geography

It is located in the western part of the Dolomites and has an elevation between and ; it extends for between

Val Gardena Val Gardena (; ; ) is a valley in the Dolomites of South Tyrol, Northern Italy. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area. Geography The valley's main river is the Derjon, a tributary of the Eisack river. The ...

to the north, the Sassolungo Group to the northeast, and the Sciliar massif to the southeast, which with its unmistakable profile is one of the best-known symbols of all the Dolomites. Given the vastness of the area, from here it is possible to admire a large number of mountain groups: among others, the Sella Group, the

Rosengarten group The Rosengarten group ( , Ladin: ''Ciadenac'', ''Ciadenáze'') is a massif in the Dolomites of northern Italy. It is located between the Tierser Tal and Eggental in South Tyrol and the Fassa Valley in Trentino Trentino (), officially t ...

, and the

Marmolada Marmolada (Ladin language, Ladin: ''Marmolèda''; German language, German: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Ven ...

. It is the largest mountain pasture in Europe. It is divided into numerous plots reserved to grazing or from which farmers obtain hay for their farms at lower elevations. The eastern part has been included in Sciliar Natural Park since 1975.

Surrounding peaks

The pasture offers a panoramic view that includes (from north, in a clockwise direction): Peitlerkofel (''Sass de Putia'', ), the Odle and the Puez groups (), the Gran Cir, the Sella group (),

Langkofel Langkofel (; ; ; 3,181 m) is the highest mountain of the Langkofel Group in the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It co ...

(''Sassolungo'', ) and

Plattkofel The Plattkofel (; ; ) is a mountain in the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsul ...

(''Sassopiatto'', ), the

(), the

Pala group The Pala group (also known as Pale di San Martino) is the largest massif of the Dolomites, with about 240 km2 of surface, located between eastern Trentino and Veneto (province of Belluno), in the area between Primiero (valleys of Cismon, Canali ...

(''Pale di San Martino'', ), the Vajolet Towers () the

(''Catinaccio'', ) with the peak of the Kesselkogel (''Catinaccio d'Antermoia'', ) and the Schlern (''Sciliar'', ).

Climate

History

The area was once a primeval forest used for hunting by Middle Stone Age people. In the Bronze Age, people began to use the forest as grazing land for cattle. A Roman mule path leads up to the plateau from Siusi.

Classification

The

SOIUSA Alps by SOIUSA. SOIUSA (an acronym for - English: ''International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps-ISMSA'') is a classification system of the Alps from the geographic and toponomastic point of view. It was designed by Sergio Maraz ...

system considers the plateau as an alpine group with the following classification: * Main part:

Eastern Alps The Eastern Alps are usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley, up to the Splügen Pass at the Main chain of the Alps, Alpine divide, and down the Liro (Como), Liro River to Lake Como in the south. ...

* Major sector: South-Eastern Alps * Section:

* Subsection: North-Western Dolomites * Supergroup: Gardena's Dolomites * Group: Seiser Alp Group * Code: II/C-31. III-A.3 It also attributes to the plateau the three following subgroups: * Subgroup A: ''Palancia-Cresta di Siusi''

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

* Subgroup B: Dorsal ''Denti di Terra Rossa-Punta d'Oro-Piz'' ridge * Subgroup C: Dorsal ''Bulacia-Salames-Col di Rende'' ridge File:Saslonch y Sela da Mont de Seuc d'inviern.jpg,

Langkofel Group The Langkofel Group (, ) is a massif in the (western) Dolomites of the Italian Alps. It separates Gröden (to the north) and the Fassa valley (to the south), as well as the Sella massif (to the east) and the Rosengarten (to the west). Northwe ...

(Italian: ''Gruppo del Sassolongo'') seen from Seiser Alm during winter. File:Dark and gloomy atmosphere at Alpe di Siusi in italian Dolomites.jpg, View from the plateau

References

External links

{{morecat, date=May 2021 Tourist attractions in Italy