AT A GLANCE

Why go?

The Friulian Dolomites Natural Park is the largest protected area in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, a 37,000-hectare wilderness of jagged peaks, old-growth forest and free-flowing streams recognized by UNESCO as part of the Dolomites World Heritage Site since 2009. The park's administrative headquarters sits in the village of Cimolais, which locals call the core of the protected territory, set at the mouth of the magnificent Val Cimoliana.↗↗↗

What makes this corner of the Alps special is its exceptional degree of wilderness: no roads cross between the major valleys, so the entire park is explored on foot along a carefully managed trail network. Ibex, chamois, marmots and golden eagles roam slopes that see almost no human traffic. The standout sight is the Campanile di Val Montanaia, a 300-metre stone spire balanced impossibly at the centre of a glacial basin — one of the most photographed rock formations in the Eastern Alps.↗↗↗