At he heart of dispute over the years between the Hapsburg Empire and the Italian Monarchy the Dolomite valleys have integrated into their Alpine tradition the influence of these two cultures but without loosing the strong and identifiable traits of their own origins. Ladin, a Romansh language, is still today the mother tongue of 25,000 inhabitants in the Dolomites, who, through the German influx in their idiom, demonstrate their proverbial creativity in many cultural fields. In essence it is a meeting place which houses the cordial, the openness, the warmth, and the authenticity of a very particular part of the world.