What is Cortina d'Ampezzo known for?

Ringed by Tofane, Cristallo, Sorapiss and Cinque Torri, with Tofana di Mezzo at 3,244 meters reached by cable car from town. Host of the seventh Winter Olympic Games in 1956 and co-host of Milano-Cortina 2026 with the Eugenio Monti sliding center rebuilt. Ladin-speaking community that kept its Regole assembly through Habsburg and Italian rule, joining Italy only in 1919.

Where is Cortina d'Ampezzo?

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a comune in the province of Belluno, Veneto region of Italy, about 100 kilometers from Bolzano.

Veneto · Belluno

Cortina d'Ampezzo

The Queen of the Dolomites at 1,224 meters, host of the 1956 Winter Olympics and co-host of Milano-Cortina 2026.

1224m

Elevation

100 km / 62 mi

Nearest hub (Bolzano)

5,546

Population

Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Greenways

Why come

Cortina sits at 1,224 meters in the Ampezzo valley, ringed by the Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, Faloria and Sorapiss to the east, and Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to the south. The Ampezzani spoke Ladin, kept their assembly the Regole intact through Habsburg and Italian rule, and only joined Italy after the First World War in 1919. The town hosted the seventh Winter Olympic Games in 1956 and returns as co-host of Milano-Cortina 2026, with the Olympia delle Tofane bobsleigh track and the Eugenio Monti sliding center rebuilt for the event. The Dolomiti Superski circuit puts 1,200 kilometers of slopes on a single pass, with Tofana di Mezzo at 3,244 meters reached by the Freccia nel Cielo cable car from the town. The Basilica dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo on Corso Italia, with its 1858 façade and 1860 campanile, anchors the pedestrian centro storico. Cortina is also a summer base for the Alta Via 1 to Belluno and the Tre Cime loop to the east.

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Gallery

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Known for

Tofana di Mezzo
3,244-meter peak west of the town, reached by the Freccia nel Cielo cable car from Corso Italia in three sections via Pomedes and Ra Valles.
Basilica dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo
Parish church on Corso Italia with an 1858 façade and an 1860 campanile, the centro storico's principal monument.
Cinque Torri
Five rock towers south of Cortina at 2,361 meters, a climbing area with First World War open-air trenches restored as a free museum.
Dolomiti Superski
1,200 km of linked slopes on a single pass across the Dolomites; Cortina is one of the twelve resort hubs of the circuit.
Cristallo and Faloria
Northeastern and eastern peaks above the valley, with the Faloria cable car from Cortina and a network of via ferrate to the summits.
Lunga Via delle Dolomiti
Sixty-four-kilometer Greenway from Calalzo to Dobbiaco on the disused Ferrovia delle Dolomiti, crossing Cortina at the former station.

When to visit

Best months · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

December through March is the Olympic season: the Dolomiti Superski lifts open, Tofana hosts the women's World Cup downhill on the Olympia delle Tofane in January, and the town runs at capacity through Carnival. June through September is the summer half: walking the Alta Via 1, climbing the Cinque Torri, and the via ferrata routes on Cristallo and Faloria. April, May, October and November are the dead months. Many hotels close, lifts shut, and the valley empties. Snow can fall into early June at altitude. The view from Pocol toward the Tofane at sunset, especially in late September when the larches turn gold against the gray rock, is the photograph the town has built its reputation on.