The Dolomites:
Unesco World Heritage

The Dolomites have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. The site comprises a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks which rise to above 3,000 metres and cover 141,903 ha. It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys.

A serial property of nine areas that present a diversity of spectacular landscapes of international significance for geomorphology marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, the site also contains glacial landforms and karst systems. It is characterized by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches. The property also features one of the best examples of the preservation of Mesozoic carbonate platform systems, with fossil records.

Summer

In San Vigilio you can enjoy nature and numerous leisure activities. The Adrenaline X-treme, the longest zip line in Europe, is in operation all year round. Whether hiking, mountaineering, cycling, mountain biking, climbing or paragliding, experience and relaxation are guaranteed.

But culture is not neglected either. In the immediate vicinity you will find museums such as the Museum Ladin, the Ladin Regional Museum in San Martino in Badia or the two museums on the Kronplatz/Plan de Corones: The Messner Mountain Museum Corones built by Zaha Hadid or the mountain photography museum Lumen.

At the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park Visitor Centre you will find useful information about the ecology, fauna, flora and culture of the Dolomites.

The pretty town of Brunico/Bruneck/Bornech is only about fifteen kilometres away. Small shops, boutiques, cafés and wine bars are dotted along the long central street. In 2009 Bruneck was awarded the prize of Italy's small town with the best quality of life.

Winter

From the centre of San Vigilio you can directly reach the Plan de Corones/Kronplatz, one of the 12 ski areas of the Dolomiti Superski (with over 1200 km of slopes the largest and most modern ski area in South Tyrol). 

The Villa Argentina is only 220 metres from the ski lifts and slopes.

A fantastic cross-country ski run, which can be reached on foot, starts in the centre of the village and leads to Pederú.