Cortina D Ampezzo tourist information
The Queen of the Dolomites, the Alpine parlour of Italy: this is Cortina d'Ampezzo - the geographie and tourist heart of the Dolomites and of the whole Veneto mountain area - holiday destination for tourists from all over the world. Crowned by splendid peaks, like the Tofane and the Cristallo, Cortina (1224 m} extends over the basin of the same name and can be reached from any direction by crossing magnificent mountain passes such as the Falzarego, the Giau and the Tre Croci. In summer tourism is characterised by the beauty of the mountains coloured "enrosadira" (reddish-orange), unique in the world that offer limitless opportunities to go walking with 300 km of paths and 56 mountain refuges that are there for the comfort and safety of hikers and mountaineers. The opportunities for sports activities are also limitless; from the traditional sports of tennis, swimming, golf, mini golf, horse riding, mountain biking and others to the "no limits" sports such as the navigation of white water rapids. In winter the town offers 110 km of skiing slopes, 58 km of cross country routes all served by 37 lifts including 5 cable cars, 23 chair lifts and 9 ski lifts.
There are also numerous other sports that can be practised during the winter an the ice and snow such as skating, sledding, walks on "ciaspe", dog sledding, climbing frozen waterfalls and the taxi bob. The range of services, the range of accommodation (with even 5 star hotels), the culinary specialities and the shops makes Cortina the capital of summer and winter holidays. Cortina is also, however, the Alpine capital of culture and offers, both in summer and winter, art exhibitions, literary and cultural meetings of the highest level and important structures such as the "Rinaldo Zardini" Paleontological Museum, the Ethographic Museum of Ampezzo and the Mario Rimoldi Pinacoteca. There is also entertainment of every kind an offer, from folklore to international sports meetings, such as the Women's Downhill Skiing World Cup and the Bob World Cup.
Brief History - The town of Cortina d'Ampezzo is of remote origin, although reports date back only to the first century AD. It was settled long ago by the Romans and, after the invasions by Lombards and Franks, the area of Ampezzo became one of the ten hundreds making up Cadore. As of the XI century and throughout the Middle Ages, the fates of Ampezzo and Cadore were closely linked, as they were both first under the rule of the Patriarchy of Aquileia and then of the Republic of Venice (as of the XV century). Following battles between the imperial troops of Maximilian of Hapsburg and those of the Serenissima, Cortina came under Austrian rule in 1516, at the same time definitively separating itself from the Magnificent Community of Cadore, in the foundation of which it had taken part in 1338. Already in the mid-nineteenth century, Cortina began its development as a tourist location, thanks to the opening in 1830 of the Alemagna road, connecting Innsbruck to Venice. Cortina was dependent on Vienna until the First World War: in 1918 the Austrian-Hungarian army was defeated on the Grappa and Piave fronts and the Italians finally managed to penetrate the territory of Ampezzo. After the Second World War Cortina underwent remarkable urban and touristic development, especially thanks to the Winter Olympics in 1956, because for that occasion the sports structures were considerably enlarged.
Cortina D Ampezzo aerial map
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