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Le Pale di San MartinoLe Pale di San MartinoLe Pale di San Martino (Pala Group) is one of the five principal mountain ranges of the Dolomites in the Alps. The

term Pala comes from the name that was used locally to designate the banks and grassy slopes at the base of the

chain . By extension then went on to define the entire mountain range. The first climbers, mostly British , after the

completion of their first tours and open some streets in their pleadings indicated originally the mountain range with

the terms of the Dolomites Primiero or group of Pale (or even with a corruption in Italian is not very pleasant,

balls). Only later, with the development of the practice of tourism mountain and the construction of driveways thatfavored the growth of Siror, became known worldwide in the mountaineering world as the Pale di San Martino.

Le Pale di San Martino extends over an area of 240 square kilometers (93 square miles) from southern Trentino

(Natural Park of Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino) to the Province of Belluno. The group is situated in the valleys of

Primiero and Bois, and the territory of Agordo. The Primiero is composed of the following municipalities: Imr,

Mezzano, Transacqua, Fiera di Primiero, Tonadico, Sirr, Canal San Bovo and Sagrn Mis. Le Pale di San Martino

is characterized by a large plateau of 19 square miles) with an altitude that ranges between 8200ft and 9100ft meters

above sea level. The highest peak of this group is the Vezzena 10,472ft, followed by Cimon della Pala 10,446ft

also called for its shape the Matterhorn of the Dolomites(Cervino delle Dolomiti). Other notable peaks in are the

Cima dei Bureloni 10,269ft and Cima di Focobon 10,019ft. The smaller peaks, such as Pala di San Martino, range

between 9520 and 8850 feet.

These peaks are characterized by vertiginous walls of dolomite rock. Vast forests, cultivated since the Middle Ages,

characterize the lower altitudes where rich fauna live; deer are one of the most important animals. The wood from

these forests is in part managed by the Magnifica Comunit of Fiemme (the local government of the valley), an insti-

tution founded in 1111 by decree of the Prince-Bishop of Trento Gebardo. But according to local legend the con-

trol of these forests originate from an accord between squirrels and lumberjacks. The spruce fir from these forests

was chosen to build the most wonderful musical instruments, such as the violins, cellos, and other stringed instru-

ments crafted by Antonio Stradivari and his family during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, musicians still request

instruments made of this particular wood from the Trentino.

One of the first settlements to favor travelers was the Hospice of Saints Martin and Julian(located in San Martino

di Castrozza), but only towards the middle of 19th century did the first tourists started visiting. The first were prob-

ably the Englishmen Josiah Gilbert and George C. Churchill (1862) that described these mountains in their famous

book The Dolomite Mountains. The book was a type of advertisement for the Dolomites and the Pale di San

Martino. Some of these men started climbing the peaks like Edward R. Whitwell. In 1870, Whitwell climbed the

Cimon della Pala, possibly the most beautiful peak of Pale di San Martino. The entire area rapidly became one of

the most famous destinations in the Alps. Subsequently, this led to the construction of roads, hotels, and mountain

huts or refuges. Some of the refuges are the rifugio Rosetta "G. Pedrotti", rifugio Velo della Madonna, rifugio Mulaz

"Volpi", rifugio Pradidali, rifugio Val Canali "Treviso", and rifugio-capanna "Segantini".

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