The Brenta Dolomites are a case apart: the only Dolomite group that stands west of the Adige, separated from the rest of the "pale mountains" and recognised for this as one of the nine systems of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Here the dolomite rock reaches peak verticality: campaniles, towers and walls cut by long horizontal ledges, the natural balconies that make the Brenta unmistakable. The whole group lies inside the Adamello Brenta Nature Park, the largest protected area in Trentino, home to the brown bear population reintroduced with the Life Ursus project.
For anyone who goes to the mountains, the Brenta is a name that carries weight. The Campanil Basso, an obelisk of rock 2,883 metres high, is one of the most celebrated climbs in the history of mountaineering: it was first conquered in 1899 and has been a place of pilgrimage for climbers ever since. Along the ledges runs the via delle Bocchette, the most famous via ferrata system in the Dolomites, crossing the heart of the group past historic huts like the Tuckett, the Pedrotti and the Alimonta. You don't need to be a mountaineer, though: trails, malga pastures and lakes make the Brenta enjoyable at every level.
The group has two faces. To the west lies the Val Rendena with Madonna di Campiglio and Pinzolo: the more fashionable side, with the big ski area and the Grostè gondola that lifts you to altitude with no effort. To the east sit Molveno, with its lake at the foot of the walls, and the Andalo-Paganella plateau, a perfect fit for families. To the north, in the Val di Non, Lake Tovel closes the circle with one of the most beautiful and silent basins in the entire Alps. Whichever side you choose, the Brenta stays with you.
