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What would become of the extraordinarily beautiful Dolomite landscape without the dark green leaves of the forest breaking against the snowy-white of the mountain scree and bursting into a myriad of autumn hues? The forests are in a sense the very soul of these mountains, a pulsating green heart which offers a wealth of resources that the mountain dwellers have always exploited over the years in order to survive. The forest and woodland is undoubtedly beautiful throughout the area, but even the less attentive traveller cannot fail to notice that the woodlands and forests of the Belluno Dolomites change to a great extent as the altitude increases, ranging from the submediterranean climate of the sunny hillside zones in the southern area of the province, with their chestnut and oak trees, to the beech forests of the highland zones and the magnificent conifer woods of the Cadore and Comelico areas. Each and every one of these forests is bursting with life, light, melodies and sounds, even though silence sometimes appears to reign supreme. The best thing you can do is to enter into the heart of the forest and remain there as long as possible in order to truly capture every little aspect of what makes it unique. Or you might prefer to wander around in silence, listening out for the sounds the fir trees make, thus emulating Cesarino Tabacchi, the last lute-maker of the Cadore area and guardian of the ancient techniques of the Cremona school. Some of the numerous forests in the Belluno Dolomites worth visiting include: the beech forest, sometimes mixed with European silver fir, of Cansiglio [1] in Alpago; the Somadida [2] forest of Norway spruce and/or European silver fir, in Auronzo; the larch forest of Mietres and Larieto [3], one of the most beautiful forests in the territory of the Regole d’Ampezzo; The Swiss stone pine wood of Lerosa [4], at the base of the southern walls of the Croda Rossa near Cortina d’Ampezzo; the forest of Swiss stone pine, with elm, maple and linden trees in the Val del Grisol [5] and the Cajada forest [6], both in the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park; the wild pine forests of the Val Montina [7]; the mixed forest (beech, European silver fir, Norway spruce, larch) forest of Agnei [8] at Lamon in the Feltrino area and the alder and ash forests of the Valle di San Lucano [9] in the Agordino area. One of the best places to visit is the Cansiglio Forest, because there are numerous nature trails for all abilities. The one suggested below starts out from the hamlet of Campon, one of the six Cimbran villages present in the forest. The route begins along the forest road which leads to Palughetto, where you can find a peat bog in which archaeological digs have recently been carried out, as well as research into the pollens contained in the mud which deposited there over thousands of years. From Palughetto, continue along path E1. Go downhill through one of the most interesting areas of the forest, containing Norway spruce, large specimens of European silver fir and beech. In about 45 minutes you will reach the little church of the Madonna del Runal, famous locally for a procession up to it which takes place on the 8th of September, and from where there is a splendid view of the peaks of the Alpago area, the Valbelluna and the Belluno Dolomites. Follow path E1 on the left, going up again alongside the edges of the forest. After 30-40 minutes you will come to the strada del Taffarel, a forest road which soon leads back to Palughetto and then Campon.