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Vol. 6 No. 16, ISSN 1535-5993	July 6, 2006

Destination Snow: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

As the small village of Cortina in Italy’s Ampezzo Valley is bathed in rosy pink light at sunset, it truly becomes magical. As evening falls, the passeggiata begins, and scores of locals and visitors fill the Corsa Italia on their evening promenade. You’re likely to see as many mink coats as you do skiwear; part of the fun of a winter vacation in this upscale resort is being seen.

The dramatic landscape surrounding the village of Cortina enchants visitors who come back year after year. The Dolomite Mountains are unique and beautiful. Steep stone walls and jagged peaks provide a backdrop different than any in Europe. In 1956, Cortina hosted the Winter Olympics, bringing world-wide attention to the resort.

Cortina has five ski areas connected by lifts or ski buses. There’s 140 kilometers (87 miles) of slopes with 101 downhill runs. Intermediate skiers have the advantage at Cortina with 62 percent of the trails designated for them. Thirty-three percent are beginner runs and five percent are for experts. Experts, though, will find challenging runs on Tofana, and over 100 advanced runs in the surrounding Dolomiti Superski Region. Cortina is one of twelve ski areas that make up the Dolomiti Superski Region. This vast ski region opens up 1,220 kilometers (762 miles) of trails to skiers of all skill levels. And better yet, all of these areas are included in one Dolomiti Superski lift pass.

If you are interested in ski tours there are several good ones to choose from. The Olimpia Skitour takes you down the trails used by the 1956 Winter Olympians including Pista Olimpia and Pista Vitelli, used for the downhill and slalom races. The Sella Ronda Skitour is the longest in the Dolomites at 26 kilometers (16 miles). This tour takes you through the Falzarego, Gardena, Sella, Pordoi and Campolongo passes. A very unique ski tour is the First World War Tour taking you along the Dolomites on a trail that shows you remnants of World War I, including emplacements, loopholes, and tunnels where soldiers on both sides endured freezing temperatures. This tour through history takes about seven to eight hours.

Snowboarders are welcomed on all of Cortina’s slopes and there’s a funpark with a half-pipe, as well. Beginning snowboarders find the resort a great place for learning with wide, gentle slopes. Seventy-three miles of trails are dedicated for cross-country skiers. Every year the resort hosts the Dobbiaco-Cortina race on a 30-kilometer (19-mile) track.

Cortina offers some of the best ski schools in Italy. More than 250 instructors work in the resort area and classes range from basic skiing and telemark skiing to carving and snowboarding. Some of these instructors are qualified to teach disabled skiers, as well. Lessons are available for both groups and individuals. The Alpine Guides offer assistance with off-trail skiing for the more adventurous.

Cortina has much more to offer than just skiing. In fact, some visitors come for the dining, shopping, and the après-ski and never even hit the slopes. Non-skiers find adventure speeding down the Olympic bob-sleigh run (with the help of a trained driver), snow rafting down the Olympic ski jump, sledding, snowshoeing, riding a horse-drawn sleigh, or being whisked along on the snow by a team of sled dogs.
There are more than enough activities to keep you busy should you decide to take a break from winter sports. Shoppers delight in the Corso Italia’s designer boutiques. Shops offer everything from handmade wooden toys to the latest fashions and jewelry of Italian and international designers. Side trips to Venice and Salzburg are a fun option, also.

In the après-ski category, this upscale resort has earned its glamorous image. Cortina has an international atmosphere with party makers coming from near and far to join in what is some of the most spirited après-ski fun in the world. From discos and wine bars to pizza parlors and Bavarian-style pubs, Cortina celebrates the good life. The Enoteca wine bar alone serves over 700 different wines.

As you might expect, delicious Italian cuisine abounds in Cortina. Most of the area’s 80 restaurants serve traditional Italian cuisine but a few do offer international dishes. Many of the more popular restaurants are located a little bit away from the village. El Toulà, one of the pricier favorites, is located in an attractive, remodeled barn on the edge of Cortina. Another fun choice is to stop for a meal at a rifugi, once a mountain refuge, but now just a great place to get a good meal right on the slopes.

Everyone should visit Cortina at least once. The combination of the area’s distinctive mountains, its vast array of slopes, and la dolce vita of Italy, makes a winter vacation in Cortina d’Ampezzo a special experience.

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