The stratified aspect of the Cima di Lanza that we can observe to the east is due to an alternation of more compact calcareous banks and less cohesive pelitic strata. These rocks were laid down between the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian (about 320-280 million years ago) in a period …
Looking south, we can observe the pale rocks of the Devonian cliffs of Monte Zermula and the Zuc della Guardia. The more rounded form of M. Pizzul, in the background, is due to its rocks being more of the open sea coeval with the reef and thus more easily eroded. …
The strange structures, observable in these rocks, are called algal oncoids and are the result of the deposition of concentric layers of calcium carbonate around fragments of shells or rock, by cyanobacteria. These structures are still being formed today on seabeds characterized by the influence of waves or strong currents. …
Looking south, you can see the peat bog where the Grotta di Attila opens. These peat bogs, quite widespread in the Cason di Lanza area, are marshy pieces of land derived from the natural infilling of ancient ponds shaped by glaciers. Particularly important for their ecological value, these peat bogs …
Read more Panorama across the peat bog of the Grotta di Attila
The characteristic shape of the entrance to this karst cave, which resembles a lock or the hilt of a sword, has given rise to various legends. The most famous is linked to the passage of the Huns led by Attila through these areas. The treasure of the heathen leader (which …
Here we find traces left by organisms that lived on the seabed during the Upper Carboniferous. These are “footprints” resulting from the activity of invertebrates that moved, fed and excavated burrows and tunnels in the muddy sediments. It is difficult to understand which animals made them because almost always where …
From this vantage point, equipped with signs, you can observe one of the most evocative parts of the area called the Val Dolce. The name – Val Dolce means “sweet valley” – derives from the characteristic morphology that contrasts with the rugged limestone walls of the Creta d’Aip of the …
The forest road is crossed by a narrow strip of dark red rocks that stand out from the grey and brown ones. They derive from the ancient sands of a desert environment and were formed about 260 million years ago, at the end of the Palaeozoic, during the Upper Permian. …
Near the Cason di Lanza, along the forest road that goes up towards the Val Dolce, outcrops of grey limestones from the Middle Devonian can easily be seen. You can pick out numerous fossil remains. The most abundant, which appear as thin tubes, are Stromatoporoids, distant relatives of the current …