The Rio delle Foglie Gorge, or Bletterbachschlucht, near Aldino and Redagno is known as the “Grand Canyon of South Tyrol”
Image gallery: GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie
The Rio delle Foglie Gorge is South Tyrol's largest gorge located at the foot of Mt. Corno Bianco (2,317 m a.s.l.) on the Monte Regolo in the south of the region. Over millions of years the stone has been eroded so that nowadays you can see the singular layers. Here you can discover at first hand how the stunning Dolomites - the Pale Mountains - developed: The lowest layer is porphyry, above in the middle we find sandstone and at the top Dolomite limestone, of which also Mt. Corno Bianco is made. The interesting GEOlogic Trail takes you through the fascinating gorge.
Starting point is the visitor centre in Aldino, which has been extended recenty by ancillary areas, storage rooms, conference rooms, reception areas and toilets. Its walls resemble those of the canyon. The information panels through the canyon tell you all about the different layers and stones. Moreover, they inform about such precious findings as carbonised plants and woods, primeval sea animals, corals and mussels or the imprints of dinosaurs. If you don't want to descent into the canyon, you may do a walk on the Bletterbach Dinosaur Trail, perfectly suited for children.
There's another visit centre: The Redagno GEOMuseum shows findings from the gorge as well as the characteristic rocks. A pilot project has been implemented to enable an inclusive nature experience for everyone, regardless of environmental, physical or linguistic barriers. Part of the project are online tools such as an app for multimedia content and a visitor experience with virtual reality. The Rio delle Foglie Canyon has also been used for several years for training sessions for ESA, NASA and JAXA astronauts to learn more about geology - it shows striking similarities to Mars.
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.