Artists’ Forest

Taking the lifts from Falcade you arrive at Le Buse, a quiet place where you can recharge your batteries among mountain huts, refuges and a new high-altitude playground from which several hiking trails start.

Don’t miss the Bosco degli Artisti (Artist’s Forest): an open-air exhibition that celebrates the creativity of sculptors and painters from Val del Biois and other areas of Italy. Taking as their inspiration the beauty of nature and local traditions, the artists created this permanent exhibition nestled at the foot of the Dolomites, almost 2,000 metres above sea level. As you walk along this approximately 1-km long circular route, you will gradually discover the almost 50 artworks of art hidden among the trees.

Created in 2018, the idea was the brainchild of Fabio De Ventura, a long-term collaborator on the Falcade ski area, who passed away prematurely in 2023. The Bosco degli Artisti is an ever-evolving art gallery, and new artistic works are always welcome. Admission is free. The project is maintained thanks to the collaboration of a great many artists and volunteers.

While strolling through this forest, surrounded by the panoramic vistas of the Falcade plain and majestic peaks like Cime d’Auta, Civetta, Mulaz and Focobon, you’ll see curious accumulations of fir needles, earth and twigs. These peculiar hills are Red Wood Ant nests – real natural works of art in themselves.

The Red Wood Ant is a protected species, and categorised as “near threatened” on the red list of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The ant nests play an essential role in the forest by helping to improve soil quality, disperse plant seeds and keep parasites at bay.