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, 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 it are online tools such as an app for multimedia content and a visitor experience with virtual reality. The 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 Redagno GEOMuseum:
€ 9.00 adults
€ 9.00 young people (12-18 years)
€ 5.00 school classes, larger groups (bus tours)
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admission to the museums (Aldino visitor centre and Redagno GEOMuseum):
€ 5.00 adults
€ 5.00 young people (12-18 years)
free for children up to 11 years (accompanied by their parents)
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adventure tour through the gorge (every day at 10.30 am in German/Italian language):
€ 19.00 adults
€ 17.00 students (12-27 years)
discount with the GuestCard
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adventure tour - family ticket:
€ 46.00 two adults with one child up to 11 years
€ 27.00 one adult with one child up to 11 years
free for every additional child of the family up to 11 years
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helmets are mandatory (available locally)
good footwear is necessary
More information
The adventure tour through the GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie is offered every day at 10.30 am from the 1st of May to October 31, 2025 (in German and Italian language, duration: approximately 3.5 hours). Adventure tour through the gorge in English language and further theme hikes on request: Bletterbach for kids, My personal hike, GEOhike through the Rio delle Foglie Gorge.
The GEOPARC Rio delle Foglie stays open every year from early May to the end of October resp. early November, winter closure from November to April.
The visitor centre at the entrance to the gorge is accessible in this period every day from 9.30 am to 6 pm, the GEOMuseum from 9.30 am to 4 pm, from July to September from 9 am to 5 pm.
Season start 2025 on the 1st of May.
