Cortina d’Ampezzo is a small town nestled in the Dolomites, a part of the Eastern Alps. It is located in the North-East of Italy, two hours north of Venice by car and close to the Austrian border. With a thousand year old history and a long tradition as a tourism destination, Cortina is a true gem to discover among the Dolomites
Cortina d’Ampezzo awaits a bright future thanks to the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships. The beauty of the Ampezzo Valley attracts visitors from around the world at any time of the year because of the majestic peaks that surround it: the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is the perfect place to wander and discover this uniquely beautiful world of immense vertical rock walls, spires and pinnacles, green valleys, high mountain pastures, forests, streams, alpine lakes, canyons and waterfalls. Professional mountain guides are available to help visitors get to know the Dolomites, the history, and the flora and fauna that live among the mountains.
The Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites was set up to protect the natural heritage of the Dolomites. It covers an area of 11,500 hectares north of the centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo. The protected area contains no personal residences or ski facilities, and is home to some of the world’s most famous mountain ranges. The wide variety of habitats allows for wide biodiversity, including a dozen species exclusive to the Dolomites, such as the Sempervivum Dolomiticum flower which is a symbol of the park. Around 160 species of animals call the natural park home, some are easy to spot, such as marmots, roe deer, deer, foxes and eagles, while other species are more difficult to come across as they hide in woods and in remote areas. The park also contains a wide variety of plants. Tourists and botanical enthusiasts from around the world visit the Dolomites to admire the flowering of the Scarpetta Madonna (Cypripedium calceolus), one of the most beautiful orchids in Europe.
Lifestyle & Shopping
Cortina d’Ampezzo is a paradise for food and wine lovers, with excellent restaurants and several award-winning chefs able to satisfy even the most demanding palates. The local kitchen is influenced by the traditions of Veneto (Italy) and Tyrol (Austria). The town is also blessed by its proximity to the Piave valley to the south and the Isarco valley to the west, both areas where great wines are produced. Visitors have a wide variety of dining options in Cortina from trendy wine-bars and gourmet restaurants to mountain farms and traditional Italian eateries. From sunrise to sunset, breakfast to dinner, the options are endless, in town as well as on the mountain. An aperitivo before dinner is a well-established tradition in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Nobody misses this opportunity to relax with friends at the end of the day over a drink, accompanied by some mouth-watering local delicacy.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is also the paradise of shoppers. Corso Italia, the pedestrian street at the heart of Cortina’s social life is the top spot for those who like to shop. Window displays of the most prestigious and exclusive brands in the world, side by side with art galleries, famous jewellers, antique shops and artisans’ workshops, offer a skillful blend of past, present and future, from works by old masters to the latest designer trends, for a shopping experience to suit all tastes. In the workshops and shops of Cortina d’Ampezzo items range from decorative objects for the home and traditional handmade tiled ceramic stoves, to exquisite jewellery and products made with alpine flowers. These artisan objects demonstrate the genuine and original artistic expression of the local craftsmen. During your stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo we recommend that you take the time to visit one of the artisan shops or workshops, perhaps you will find a small souvenir to bring home to remind you of your stay in the Ampezzo Valley. As for clothes and accessories, one can pick up next season’s fashions just by strolling down and visiting the many designer boutiques found on Corso Italia.
4 seasons in Cortina d’Ampezzo
A true paradise for winter sports enthusiasts, Cortina d’Ampezzo offers skiers some of the world’s most breathtaking sceneries. The resort’s 3 ski areas are connected by a free of charge ski bus and offer 115 km of slopes with snow making facilities ensuring perfect conditions throughout the season. Slopes and lifts are undergoing a series of improvements for the 2021 Ski World Championships. Cortina d’Ampezzo is part of the Dolomiti Superski, one of the world’s largest ski circuits with 1,200 km of slopes across 12 ski regions, accessible with a single skipass.
As the flagship winter sport in Cortina d’Ampezzo, downhill skiing is in the very DNA of the resort. As well as hosting international events such as the Women’s World Cup, Cortina d’Ampezzo boasts famous runs that have made international ski history, like the Olympia delle Tofane ski run. Nonetheless, many more activities can be experienced in winter, ranging from high-adrenaline to more relaxing options: from ski mountaineering to sledding in the moonlight after a dinner in a mountain hut, from Nordic skiing in the Natural Park to snowshoeing in the middle of the woods.
In summer, Cortina is the ideal destination for hikers, climbers and mountain-bikers alike, supported by high quality facilities and services. Mountain biking enthusiasts can express their love for biking on hundreds of kilometres of marked trails in the magnificent Dolomite scenery. Add bike hotels with bespoke services, dedicated instructors, bike shuttles, bike maps and the Dolomiti SuperSummer Bike Pass for the lift facilities, and you have the recipe for a perfect bike holiday! For a vertical thrill, ‘Climb & Ride’ offers the opportunity to climb the mountain via ferrata, followed by a downhill ride on your bike. And for youngsters, the skill parks in Col Gallina and Socrepes are a great way to approach the world of mountain biking.
For a bike excursion suitable for the whole family, the beautiful Dolomite Bike Road offers the perfect setting. Cortina is the ideal venue for many more sports activities: indoor and outdoor tennis; golf in the scenic 9 holes course; hiking in a web of trails immersed in nature and in the beautiful scenery; climbing in the new indoor climbing centre or on the mountains; ice skating, even in the summer; horse riding, canyoning and much more. For a slower paced holiday, guests can walk around the scenic valley and attend some of the many cultural events, including concerts and exhibitions. Lingering in the beauty of the centre, enjoying the food tradition of the area and relaxing in one of the many spas of Cortina are also good ways to enjoy a holiday at the heart of the Dolomites.
Alpine Ski World Championships 2021
Cortina d’Ampezzo will be the venue for the Alpine Ski World Championships 2021. From 8th to the 21st of February 2021, skiers from all over the world will compete for the world titles of downhill, super G, giant, slalom and, for the first time, individual parallel slalom. Throughout the eleven days of men’s and women’s competitions, over 600 athletes from 70 nations will participate, along with over 6,000 people including professionals, volunteers, technicians, athletic trainers, and managers.
More than 150 thousand spectators are expected will to visit Cortina D’Ampezzo for the competition and at least 500 million people are expected to be watching live on television and online from around the world. The Prosecco DOC Consortium is the Premium Partner for the Alpine Skiing World Cup in 2021. Prosecco DOC has been a partner of many events organized by the Cortina 2021 foundation such as Contina Through the Lines which is a conference on the future of journalism, the Cortina Fashion Weekend, the Snowboard World Cup and The Queen of Taste festival which celebrates the local cuisine and ingredients of the Dolomite region.