Latemar

The best-known peaks

• Cimon del Latemar2,842 m
• Schenòn del Latemar2,801 m

Elevations from the map (OpenStreetMap).

A fossil atoll

For the Dolomites UNESCO Foundation the Latemar, like the Sciliar and the Catinaccio, is a fossil atoll from the Triassic. The peaks around it are the Croda di Lausa, the Campanili del Latemar, the Schenon, Cima di Val Bona, the Molignon and the Corno d’Ega. The towers formed where faults cut through horizontal rock layers; in the Val Sorda cirque there are sinkholes shaped by water and ice.

According to the Eggental tourist board, the name probably comes from old Ladin «cresta de Lac-te-mara», the ridge above the lake: Lake Carezza. The Latemar does not lie in a nature park, but Visit Trentino lists it among the special areas of conservation of the Val di Fiemme reserve network, with the Valsorda cutting into it to the south.

Where to start

From Val di Fiemme, at Predazzo, the gondola to Gardonè and the chairlift to the Feudo Pass take you to 2,175 metres, where the trail to the Torre di Pisa hut begins. Other trails climb from Pampeago, above Tesero.

From the Eggental, at Obereggen, the Oberholz chairlift and the Ochsenweide gondola lead to the Latemarium, with nine nature trails and the Latemar.360° viewing platform. Obereggen and the Costalunga Pass can also be reached by bus from Bolzano. In winter the group’s slopes host the Ski Center Latemar, between Obereggen, Pampeago and Predazzo.

The Torre di Pisa hut and the Campanili via ferrata

The Torre di Pisa hut (Latemarhütte) is the only high-mountain hut in the group and takes its name from a leaning rock tower nearby. From Obereggen, suedtirol.info suggests a loop for experienced hikers: from Latemar.360° to the Feudo Pass, then along a rocky path to the hut, and back through the Valsorda.

The Campanili del Latemar via ferrata, grade B, starts from the Oberholz chairlift at 2,100 metres, crosses the Forcella dei Camosci and the Forcella di Ercolana and reaches Torre Diamantidi; the descent goes via the Rigatti bivouac and the Torre di Pisa hut. You need a via ferrata kit, and in winter there may be ice. More in the via ferrata guide.

The labyrinth and the Latemar loop

The Latemar labyrinth is a field of boulders left by a huge landslide that broke away from the group. The trail starts from the Costalunga Pass: according to suedtirol.info you walk for an hour among the boulders and return through the Carezza forest. The Eggental board notes that the trail appears in an Agatha Christie mystery, The Big Four.

By mountain bike the Latemar loop is almost 40 km long and, according to the Eggental board, takes five hours. The Latemar lift company’s website suggests it from Predazzo via the Feudo Pass, Pampeago, Obereggen, Carezza, the Costalunga Pass and Moena: using the lifts, the climbing drops to 350 metres.

UNESCO World Heritage

Since 2009 the Latemar has been part of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site in System 7, Sciliar-Catinaccio, Latemar: 9,302 hectares across the provinces of Trento and Bolzano. The Obereggen website notes that it was listed as a massif in its own right. Its northern edge is Lake Carezza, where the Campanili are reflected; the walk around the lake is in the Lake Carezza loop.