Photo: Ritten Earth Pyramids Italy

Mysterious Earth Pyramids adorn the cliffside near Ritten in South Tyrol, Italy.

The Earth Pyramids near the village of Ritten in South Tyrol, Italy are one of the outstanding sights to be visited when touring the area. The Pyramids seem to be stalagmites which decided to come out of caves, but in reality they are formed by moraine clays left by the glaciers of the last ice age.When the clay is dry it is like stone, however when it gets wet it turns muddy and slides down to the river below. This continuous erosion of the cliffs form the pyramids, and although they are centuries old, they are always collapsing and maybe thousands of years from now they may vanish completely.There are about 7,000 people living in nearby Ritten, predominately of German descent. The Italian name for the village is Renon. When the mountain railway was completed in 1907, the area became accessible to the outside world and visitors included people such as Sigmund Freud and Kafka. Now there is a paved road, opened in 1971, inviting vacationers to enjoy the beauty and mystery of the Earth Pyramids in Ritten, Italy. ... continue below the picture...

... Earth Pyramids near the village of Ritten, Italy, South Tyrol, Europe.