Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Giau Pass for mountain holidays

Cortina d'Ampezzo is always the same, but every time is like the first time! Home of the 1956 Winter Olympics, broadcast live on television for the first time in Italy, and ski resort par excellence, Cortina has always been a popular destination for sportsmen, lovers of scenery and photography, but also for those who prefer shopping and social life.  

Its mountains and the panoramas that surround it and offer unique emotions in every season deserve special mention. Some of the most beautiful Dolomite peaks can be admired here, including the Tofane, Cristallo, Faloria, Cinque Torri, Becco del Mezzodì, Sorapis and Croda da Lago.

Cortina is also the chosen venue for numerous international sporting events, with the Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup races, the Cortina-Dobbiaco Run, the Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Nordic skiing events, the Snowboard World Cup, the Freeride World Cup and other sporting events. The most eagerly awaited event is certainly that of 2026, when Cortina, together with other Dolomite resorts, will host the Olympics.

Olympics Cortina 2026

From 6 to 22 February, Cortina will host the Winter Olympics, which will return to Italy for the third time, after Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 and Turin 2006. From 6 to 15 March, the Paralympics will also take place.

Plan your holiday in Cortina now in the best hotels!

Cortina d'Ampezzo: what to do in winter

In winter, Cortina becomes the home of winter sports, thanks to its ski slopes of the Falzarego-Cinque Torri, Faloria, Tofana and Cristallo ski areas for a total of 120 km of pure fun, included in the Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites, managed by the Regole d'Ampezzo, and in the Dolomiti Superski carousel. Among the most fascinating ski itineraries in Cortina are the Skitour Super 8 in the 5 Torri and Lagazuoi area and the Great War Tour, which touches on tunnels and emplacements built during the First World War.

For cross-country skiing, the reference point in the area is the Fiames Sport Nordic Centre, a facility that offers 70 km of loops for classic and free technique, not to mention the trails for ski mountaineering.

There are numerous possibilities to enjoy the snow even without skiing: snowshoeing, tobogganing even at night, climbing icefalls, huskysleddog, taxi bob down the Olympic bobsleigh run, skating, snowmobile rides and curling at the Olympic Ice Stadium.

Cortina d'Ampezzo: what to do in summer

During the warm season, Cortina offers various leisure activities, such as hiking in its dense network of trails, mountain biking, vie ferrate, golf, trail running and free climbing. Fun can certainly not be missed at the Adrenalin Park adventure park.

The Queen of the Dolomites enjoys a wide variety of landscapes and habitats, with its pearls of intense colours and hues ranging from blue to turquoise and teal, such as Lake Sorapis, Lake Limedes and Lake Ghedina. Very beautiful and scenic is the excursion to Lake Sorapis, an itinerary of medium difficulty lasting 4 hours.

Cortina is also the scene of fierce battles during the First World War between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies. Testimony to this are the Great War open-air museums composed of the Lagazuoi, the 5 Torri, the Sasso di Stria and the Tre Sassi Fort museum. The museum area extends over a 5 km radius and is considered one of the most exciting walks in the Dolomites.

A stage of the Giro d'Italia, the Giau Pass is the ideal destination for a bike or motorbike ride and the starting point for various excursions, such as the Croda da Lago.

Cortina d'Ampezzo events

Cortina, however, is not only a holiday capital, but also a place of tradition and culture that offers both winter and summer.

The Ampezzo basin fascinates with countless appointments and events: the Christmas Market along Corso Italia, the Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup, international curling tournaments, the Alpine Snowboarding World Cup, horse racing competitions, mountain bike races, and cultural events, such as Cortina tra le Righe or Una montagna di libri.

Cortina d'Ampezzo cuisine flavours

The cuisine of this area reflects in large part the Tyrolean cuisine, with its simple but tasty dishes: casunziei (homemade filled pasta), kloesse (dumplings), speck, barley soup, polenta, grappe and liqueurs. There is also a large variety of desserts, like cranberry jam omelettes, apple fritter, strudel, brazorà, fartaia and carafoi.