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Host city:
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO
Gastronomy
Cortina is one of the capitals of Alpine gastronomy. Here, Italian cuisine blends with Tyrolean traditions and local elements.
Cortina has many traditional restaurants and other more innovative, including two
Michelin starred. The mountain huts are also renowned for the great cuisine and so are the Alpine farms, which make use of local and healthy ingredients.
Points of interest
Cortina d’Ampezzo, or simply Cortina, is Italy’s prime mountain destination.
Located in the wide Ampezzo Valley, this small town is surrounded by some of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Cortina, one o the cradles of tourism in the Alps, kept evolving and transforming through the years: from Italy’s first Olympic Games in 1956 to
the years of the Dolce Vita in the ‘60s, the films and film stars in the ‘80s…
Today, Cortina has a unique combination of local tradition, heritage and cosmopolitan lifestyle.
Cortina is a privileged spot for sports enthusiasts and sporting events: the 1956 Winter Olympics, the 2021 World Ski Championships and the Winter Olympics once again in 2026, this time
along with Milan.
In the winter, it provides legendary ski slopes, the Olympic ice stadium, a vast array of snowshoeing and ski touring options as well as cross-country skiing pistes in the Natural Park.
Biking – Cortina offers several activities for bike lovers. Experts will enjoy MTB, the bike park and the Dolomites passes, the roads from one valley to the next. Those looking for something calmer will make the most of the Lunga via delle Dolomiti bike lane, linking Cortina to the neighbouring small towns.
Hiking – In Cortina there are over 400 km of hiking trails, from easy to very challenging ones. There
are trails to Alpine lakes and waterfalls, others to panoramic spots and multi-day treks with
the possibility to sleep in mountain huts.
Landscapes – Cortina provides some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Alps. It is a particularly wide and panoramic valley and about 40% of its land is protected by the Natural park of the Ampezzo Dolomites, where there are over 1000 species of flowers.
Sightseeing – Some lifts are open also in the summer, allowing guests to reach very panoramic spots where they can enjoy the landscapes, take photos and eat traditional food at a mountain hut.
WINTER
Skiing – With around 120 km of slopes, Cortina is one of Italy’s top ski destinations. Having hosted the World Ski Championships in 2021, the town has some very technical slopes, but it also has others for beginner as well as for intermediates.
Skiing in Cortina is a great experience also thanks to the great food of piste-side mountain huts and to the great panoramas.
Cross-country skiing – Cortina has around 70 km of cross-country slopes divided in two main areas. One are ahas
also a ski school a rental shop, while the other is for experts and has slopes in the Natural Park.
Cross-country skiing is a great activity for those who want to enjoy the snow at a slower pace.
Snowshoeing – Another great way to relax in a snowy landscape is snowshoeing. In Cortina there are many itineraries, including some ideal for beginners.
It is possible to rent all the equipment and to try this activity with mountain guides.
TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO
Overview
Auronzo and Misurina are part of the Northern Dolomites with their 78,767 hectares (53,586 of heartland and 25,181 hectares of intermediate area), the largest of the nine areas making up the Dolomite World Heritage Site.They are part of a range of mountains shared by the provinces of Belluno and Bolzano bordering at the Pusteria, Sesto, Badia, San Cassiano, Boite and Piave valleys and containing some of the most famous massifs in the Alps: Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cadini di Misurina, Sorapìss, Monte Cristallo, Marmarole, Antelao and the Croda dei Toni at Mt. Popera.
The Dolomites were made into a World Heritage Site on the 26th of June 2009 by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at a meeting in Seville for their “series of extraordinarily distinctive and exceptionally beautiful natural mountain landscapes”, “their variety of sculptural forms” and “their vertical, pale peaks”. Furthermore, the area possesses a complex of values of international scientific importance given its “quantity and concentration of extremely varied calcareous formations” and unusual geological features.
In August 2009 the ceremony assigning World Heritage Site status to the Dolomites took place in Auronzo and the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napoletano was present.
Food
When you take a trip anywhere in the world you do it for many reasons: art, culture, history, sports, events, landscapes… but one of the greatest curiosities when you come to these places to us new is to savor the local traditions.
Among the delicious dishes of the area do not miss the opportunity to enjoy the Gnocchi all’Auronzana: potato gnocchi seasoned with melted butter and smoked ricotta, a real treat for your palate!
Many places where tastes the delicacies of Cadore, spectacular places surrounded by greenery from the breathtaking landscape.
Points of Interest
The Three Peaks are the symbol of the Dolomite UNESCO World Heritage site. Auronzo is the only town from which the south faces of the Tre Cime are visible.From Misurina you can see their south-west faces which conceal the Cima Piccola peak. If you want to get a glimpse of the world famous north faces you will need to go for a walk along footpath number 101 which takes you from Rifugio Auronzo at 2333 metres to Forcella Lavaredo at 2454 metres in around an hour. Here you can see Cima Piccola (2857 m), Cima Grande (2999 m) and Cima Ovest (2973 m) in all their glory. From Rifugio Lavaredo (2344 m), on the other hand, you can observe the sharp faces of Mt. Spigolo Giallo, a paradise of sixth grade climbing and a rock gym for the best mountain climbers.
Some of the great historic and modern Alpine climbing feats have taken place right here from the first ascents of Cima Grande on the 21st of August 1869 by Vienna based Paul Grohmann. Other eminent world climbing names have left their mark on Lavaredo: from Innerkofler at Dulfer to Comici at “Sassoni” and Alexander Huber.
There is an extensive network of footpaths and routes for every sort of walker around the Tre Cime and a number of equipped routes and vie ferrate which give you the opportunity to get to panoramic observation points such as the Cadini massif and Monte Paterno. Some of the most beautiful Dolomite mountains are visible around the Tre Cime and from the convenient vantage point of Rifugio Auronzo. As well as the Cadini massif and Mt. Paterno, the Cristallo, Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo, Dolomiti di Sesto, Croda dei Toni, Marmarole, Antelao and Sorapiss massifs are worthy of note. And at your feet are Lake Misurina and Auronzo’s Lake.
AURONZO DI CADORE
Auronzo di Cadore is a famous holiday resort in the Belluno Dolomites. In the northernmost part of the Veneto region near Cortina, Comelico and the upper Pusteria valley, it extends along the left bank of Lake Santa Caterina at around 900 metres above sea level.Surrounded by forests and some of the most beautiful mountain massifs in the Dolomites with the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the background, Auronzo is the ideal location for a relaxing and sporty holiday.
At an ideal altitude, its pleasant, spruce shaded walks along the banks of the lake, a level cycle and pedestrian track covering the approximately 8 kilometres of the valley, its many opportunities for entertainment and socialising, the tree lined avenue in the centre, its cultural events, its characteristic views onto hidden footpaths – all these make Auronzo one of the most sought after destinations in the Dolomites.
Special attention is paid to families in the Monte Agudo area in particular. In winter the ski school’s instructors accompany children and beginners as they try out the snow for the first time and in summer you can speed along the longest fun bob in the world or climb the trees at the Tre Cime Adventure Park.
Auronzo also offers a full calendar of sporting and cultural events beginning with Lazio football club’s summer retreat and continuing with international canoe and dragon boat tournaments, mountain running races and Christmas evenings on the lit up school slopes.
And the multi-theme Palazzo Corte Metto Museum offers insights into the Val d’Ansiei’s geological, mineral and archaeological history.
MISURINA
Misurina is the highest district of the municipality of Auronzo di Cadore. It is defined as the ‘Pearl of the Dolomites’: from these few words people can already imagine the beauty and magnificence of the place.
Its 1756 metre above sea level lake reflects the south east slopes of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Cadini, Sorapiss and Cristallo massifs and is in the heart of the UNESCO Dolomite Heritage area.
A visit to the village is not simply a matter of contemplating the panaorama and landscape and there are many activities to do here in all seasons. Its altitude and geographical position make for natural snow for almost six months a year and as well as the Col di Varda ski area and the Loita school slopes there is also a cross country ski centre (9 km) and a range of groomed footpaths to be done on foot with snowshoes to refuges which are always open, ski mountaineering routes, fresh snow slopes and sledge tracks from the Tre Cime and Monte Piana. In the summer Misurina is an ideal base for excursions of every type from relaxing strolls in the meadows and larch forests to more challenging high altitude walks.
GRANDE GUERRA – MONTE PIANA
The First World War left deep marks in territory of Auronzo Misurina. The line of the Austro-Italian front passed right on the mountains surrounding the valley: trenches, walkways, monuments and finds are still visible, particulary in Monte Piana, with its “open-air mesuem” and the historical museum of Rifugio Bosi.
The Gallerie del Monte Paterno, next to Tre Cime,are an amazing feat of military engineering.
