The Dolomites are covered by thousands and thousands of kilometres of hiking trails, mule tracks, forest roads. They feature an exceptional variety, in length and difficulty. Many of these trails, besides the exceptional charm of the landscape, have something more: a name and a tale.
Some of them are dedicated to pioneers or great mountaineers, others refer to prominent figures who loved mountains, although being famous for other reasons. Some dedications are strictly related to local culture, or to some artistic legacy. You can find many “Alpine troops” trails, or their Hapsburg counterpart, the “Kaiserjager” paths, marked by Italian and Austrian troops during WWI, in extreme conditions, next to the front line, if not coinciding with the battlegrounds. Often they pay homage to the old crafts: miners, snow and ice collectors and traders. Some others refer to a very distant past, or to Dolomite fairy-tales which otherwise could sink into oblivion.
This guidebook describe 45 trails which are deemed the most interesting, both for hiking reasons and for historical and cultural ones.
For the most part, they’re quite accessible and suitable for any hiker, but a few of them require some scrambling or some mountaineering skill – clearly indicated in the description.

About the Authors

Paolo Bonetti, born in Bologna, started climbing in the Dolomites in the 60s, moving on later the sandstone of Apennines and the limestone of Apuan Alps. Towards the end of the 70s he started authoring several specialized books, both as a contributor and as a translator (amongst his works, the Italian translation of Big Wall Climbing by Doug Scott), collaborating with the most important publishers: Tamari, Zanichelli, Vivalda, Panorama, Cierre, Tappeiner, Versante Sud. Alpine Club di Londra, Rother, Alp, Rivista Mensile del Cai, Alpi Venete, Alpin, Bergsteiger. Starting from the 80s his main interest shifts towards the heyday of the trailblazing mountaineering.

Paolo Lazzarin, a journalist and a photographer, lives and works in Milan as a free-lance. He’s a regular contributor to the main Italian media outlets.
He authored more than 40 volumes published by the most important Italian publishers, including Rizzoli, Fabbri, Zanichelli, Tamari, Cierre, Panorama, Scripta, Tappeiner, Vivalda; many of them have also been translated into Spanish, French, Deutsch, Czech.
He have signed more than 15 publications about the Dolomites: photobooks, hiking and trekking guidebooks, wine and food travelogues.