Italian region awarded Unesco status

A region of Italy has been granted Unesco world heritage status, something that may interest overseas property investors.

The mountainous Dolomites range has been added to a list by the United Nations agency safeguarding Europe's most scenic areas.

Formed 250 million years ago, the 18 peaks in the eastern section of the northern Italian Alps rise up to more than 3,000m in some places and cover almost 142,000 hectares.

Unesco praised the "beautiful mountain landscapes" in the region and highlighted areas of international significance, including glacial landforms, deep valleys and fossil records.

Named after 18th century French geologist Dieudonne Dolomieu, the natural world heritage site is believed to have inspired architect Le Corbusier, writer Mario Rigoni Stern and poet Goethe and is protected by a number of parks.

Unesco's list of world heritage sites now features 890 properties that are deemed by the World Heritage Committee to have "outstanding universal value", including 176 natural sites and 689 cultural locations.