The province of Belluno, located in the Dolomites of northern Italy, is not only famous for its mountains and landscapes but also for an important paleontological discovery: dinosaur footprints. These traces provide valuable evidence that dinosaurs once lived in areas that today are high Alpine environments.

One of the most significant sites is the famous dinosaur trackway discovered at Mount Pelmetto, in the Zoldo area of the Dolomites. In 1988, a naturalist  named Vittorino Cazzetta accidentally noticed unusual marks on a large dolomite rock surface. After careful study, scientists helped by the University of Ferrara realized that these marks were fossilized footprints left by dinosaurs around 200 million years ago, during the late Triassic period.

The tracks were probably made by bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs, similar to early theropods. These animals walked across muddy coastal plains that existed in the region at the time. Millions of years ago, the area that is now part of the Dolomites was very different from today. Instead of high mountains, it was a tropical environment with lagoons, beaches, and shallow seas.

This finding can be seen today at the museum of Selva di cadore named after the naturalist himself.

Today, the dinosaur footprints of the Belluno area are an important scientific and cultural heritage. They attract researchers, students, and visitors who want to discover how ancient life once existed in what is now a spectacular mountain landscape