Being in a large and sunny valley in the middle of the UNESCO world Heritage Site of the Dolomites, Cortina is known as "the Pearl of the Dolomites".
But Cortina is much more than the astounding mountain panoramas that it offers: it is also a world renown mountain winter and summer sports destination, and a cultural gem.
As a host of the 1956 Winter Olimpics, a candidate host of the 2026 Winter Olimpics, a yearly host of the Women's Alpine Ski World Cup, the host of the 2021 Alpine Ski World Championship, it offers unparalleled winter sports.
Amazing Alpine Ski slopes (Vertigo, Stratofana, Forcella Rossa, Staunies...) and Ski routes (Forcella Ronda) thrill ski lovers. Not to mention freeride skiing!
Skating at the Olimpic Ice Stadium, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Icefall Climbing, sledging, curling are some of the other winter sports available.
In Summer, the "Ciclabile delle Dolomiti" Cycling route is a perfect family activity: a constant slope through woods and mountain scenerys, will take you for hundreds of kilometers... and when you will be tired, a bike-bus will be nearby to take you home. Mountain bike and downhill trails are nearby: reach the top on a cablecar and let yourself go! More of a road bike kind? Some of the most impressive bits of the Giro d'Italia are here: Passo Giau, Passo Falzarego will test your strenght.
If you prefer your feet to bicicles, you can choose between multiday hikes (many awe inspiring "Alte vie delle Dolomiti" pass through Cortina), single day hikes (check Val Travenanzes, Val di Fanes as examples), half a day family friendly hikes (Val Padeon) , or relaxing strolls on the "Ciclabile delle Dolomiti", overlooked by our apartment, wich will take you in twenty minutes to the city center if you walk north, and in ten minutes to the Olimpic Ski jump if you walk south.
Just take a cable car to a mountain summit at 3000 meters and drink a glass of wine in the terrace of a mountain refuge (Lagazuoi, I'd suggest).
If you like climbing, you are in the right place: Sports Climbing, Alpine Climbing, outdoor and indoor Bouldering, any difficulty grade.
Golf, tennis, fishing, swimming, and much more.
Cortina is part of the "Ladin" region: a small area (five valleys) where the moutain seclusion permitted the survival of pre-latin Romansch traditions and language. Drive half an hour north and you are in Tyrol, where culture and language are totally different and clearly Austrian. Drive half an hour south and you are in the territories who were of the "Serenissima", the Venetian Republic, with it's heritage (You should drive one more hour in south direction, anyway, reaching Venice... yes, THAT Venice).
Food and Wine:
Being one of the most "Chic" resorts in Italy, Cortina's restaurants are amazing: our favourite is "San Brite", a six-tables restaurant opened by a pupil of Francesco Bottura, ther Chef of "Osteria Francescana" wich has been one of the 5 best restaurants in the world since 2010 (and the best in 2016 and 2018).
Cortina is part of the Veneto region, where Prosecco wine comes from. Eastwards, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region produces Refosco, Ribolla, Picolit, Verduzzo, amazing Sauvignons... Westwards Trentino Alto Adige goes with Terlaner, Muller Thurgau, Riesling, Sylvaner... you can't miss Hofstatter's Gewurtztraminer!