About 20 km from Lake Caldaro, there’s the well-known Rio delle Foglie or Bletterbach Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of South Tyrol”
Image gallery: GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie
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.
Contact info
- Lerch 40 - 39040 - Aldino / Aldein
- +39 0471 886946
- info@bletterbach.info
Opening times
Despite careful control we cannot guarantee the correctness of the provided data.
Admission
admission to the gorge, the visitor centre and the GEOMuseum:
€ 9.00 adults
€ 9.00 young people (12-18 years)
€ 5.00 school classes
admission to the museums (visitor centre in Aldino and Redagno GEOMuseum):
€ 4.50 adults
€ 4.50 young people (12-18 years)
free for children up to 11 years (if accompanied by their parents)
guided hike through the Rio delle Foglie Gorge (daily at 10.30 am):
€ 19.00 adults
€ 17.00 seniors
€ 17.00 students (up to 27 years)
€ 17.00 groups (10-25 persons)
€ 17.00 people with disabilities
€ 46.00 family ticket (2 adults with children up to 11 years)
€ 27.00 family ticket (1 adult with children up to 11 years)
helmets are mandatory (available on site)
More information
Guided theme hikes on request. The GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie stays open every year from May to the end of October, winter closure from November to April. Season start 2024 on the 1st of May.
The visitor centre in Aldino at the entrance of the gorge is open daily from 9.30 am to 6 pm, the Redagno GEOMuseum daily from 9 am to 3 pm, in July and August till 6 pm.
