Cortina d’Ampezzo is nestled romantically among the most beautiful of the eastern Dolomites. In 1956, the seventh Olympic Winter Games were held here; they were the first ever to be televised and the last at which the figure skating competitions were held outdoors. The ‘pearl of the Dolomites’, as Cortina d Ampezzo is commonly known, is the most fashionable ski resort in Italy with a busy après-ski and fantastic non-ski alternatives and lies close to the northeastern border with Austria.
Activities away from the slopes include: dining at some of the finest restaurants in the region, catching live music performances, and joining in literary and cultural meetings. Try your hand at one of the many non-ski activities such as: taxi-bobs, kayaking, hydrospeeding, snow rafting, ‘crazy sledge’, or snow racket tours. There are also cinemas, nightclubs and bars to entertain well into the night, as well as some fantastic shopping opportunities in the village.
Cortina d’ Ampezzo has several cross-country ski tracks, adding up to 73kms, as well as 120 km of pistes for Alpine skiing. Of these runs, five per cent are expert runs, 62 per cent are intermediate, and 33 per cent are beginner. At least 70 per cent of ski runs are always snow-clad due to snowmaking machines.
As you drive in the direction of Cortina from Venice (163 km away), past Longarone and the villages of Tai and Valle in Cadore, you enter the valley of the river Boite, with the impressive mount Pelmo on your left and mount Antelao on your right.
After a few miles, past the village of San Vito, the most spectacular view is going to disclose in front of your eyes: the Ampezzo valley in all its beauty, surrounded by its magic mountains, and Cortina with its tower bell, sitting right in the middle.