About 20 km from Lake Caldaro, there’s the well-known Rio delle Foglie or Bletterbach Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of South Tyrol”.
If you head from Lake Caldaro towards Ora and Montagna, the road leads further on to Redagno (Radein) and Aldino (Aldein) and finally to the Rio delle Foglie Gorge - “Bletterbachschlucht” in German, “Gola del Rio delle Foglie” in Italian. This “Grand Canyon of South Tyrol”, the largest gorge of the region, is located at the foot of Mt. Corno Bianco, a 2,317 m high peak in the surroundings of the Monte Corno Nature Park, and covers a surface of 818 hectares.
A geological journey through millions of years awaits you at this stunning place: since ancient times, the brook has washed away stones and has eroded rocks, forming a gorge which shows - like the pages of a book - the singular layers. Porphyry, sandstone and Dolomite limestone layers are represented here and make you discover at first hand how the beautiful Dolomites developed. Also on the slopes of Mt. Corno Bianco, the single layers are visible with the naked eye.
The Aldino Visitor Centre or the Redagno GEOMuseum - both exhibit also findings such as footprints of dinosaurs - represent the starting point of the hike through the GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie. The GEOtrail leads you through the impressive gorge, which is accessible only with helmet (available at the starting point). The GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie, part of the Natural World Heritage site of the Dolomites, stays open from the end of April / beginning of May until autumn. In winter, however, it remains closed due to an elevated danger of falling rocks.
