Cortina d'Ampezzo: The Queen of the Dolomites

An Italian skiing resort Cortina d'Ampezzo is getting ready for the Winter Olympic Games, scheduled for February 2026. But you certainly wouldn't like to wait that long. 

1,200 kilometres of joy

Cortina d’Ampezzo is part of one of the world's largest ski areas, Dolomiti Superski. One ski pass gives you access to 1,200 kilometres of pistes, 16 ski resorts, 450 ski lifts and 30 snow parks.

Cortina alone has 120 km pistes, 13 black pistes, a huge area for for cross-country skiing, 37 ski lifts, a snow park and a kids park as well as toboggan slopes.

Historic hotels

Before the First World War, when Cortina was part of Austria-Hungary, the resort greeted guests from every corner of Europe, the United States and even Singapore. Many hotels of those times have preserved by now. Among such is Cristallo, Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. Leo Menardi, the son of the founders of this hotel, introduced many activities here: skating, ice hockey, curling and tennis. By his initiative, an indoor pool was built and promoted car races for the Dolomites Gold Cup, which attracted leading pilots to the resort. 

Other historic hotels are Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel 1902 and Grand Hotel Savoia 1912. Both have a list of prominent guests including Sophia Loren, Winston Churchill, Lev Tolstoy, Umberto II and Franklin Roosevelt.

Sports capital

Cortina's fame as a sports destination became global in 1956, when the first in Italy Winter Olympic Games, also known as Cortina-D’Ampezzo 1956, were held here. For the first time in the history of the event there was a live broadcast. At that time, 821 athletes from 32 countries (now over 200 nations) took part in the competition. On the occasion of the Olympics, two ski slopes and the Olympic stadium with a ice rink of 60x30 m were built. These days, you can skate there, dance on the ice or watch a competition in ice hockey, skating or curling.

The second Olympic games in Cortina's history will take place in 2026. Among new additions to the programme is Ski Mountaineering.

Note that the same slopes are available for you even now. One of them is Stratofana Olimpica 2402 m long, with an average of 28.2% and a maximum of 56.1%. At the Olympics 1956, there was a male speed skiing contest, and in 2026 women will compete in the same discipline. Also, Stratofana Olimpica is an important venue for FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. 

From 21 to 25 June an annual La Sportiva Lavaredo Ultra Trail will unite dedicated trail runners. Five distances are proposed: from 10 to 120 kilometres. Every second participant is a foreigner. The road passes across the mountainous terrain, going up and down. The elevation gain in the longest distance is 5,800 m, for which runners are given 30 hours.

Another interesting event is Delicious Festival Dolomiti, scheduled for 29 and 30 September 2023. The event unites sports, nature and gastronomy by leading chefs of the resort. 

In summer, Cortina offers you 400 kilometres of hiking trails, which take you to meadows, waterfalls and caves, as well as via ferratas, biking tours, tennis, horse riding and agritourism.