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.

When is the best time to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo?

Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. 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.

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.

How do I get to Cortina d'Ampezzo?

From Bolzano, Cortina d'Ampezzo is roughly 100 km by road.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Belluno

Known for

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

When to visit

Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Why come

The Ampezzo valley sits at 1,224 meters, closed in by a full ring of peaks: the Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, Faloria and Sorapiss to the east, Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to the south. The town takes its position from that ring, a flat basin with mountains rising on every side rather than a settlement that spread toward any one of them.

The valley's older identity runs through the Ampezzani, a Ladin-speaking community whose Regole assembly governed communal land through Habsburg rule and continued after the territory passed to Italy in 1919. That assembly still shapes how the surrounding forests and pastures are held, separate from the ski infrastructure and Olympic building laid over the same ground in 1956 and again for 2026. Summer use of the valley extends outward on foot, with the Alta Via 1 running south to Belluno and a loop east to the Tre Cime.

What the valley adds up to is a resort economy built inside a much older frame of land, language and self-government, the two rarely mentioned together but both still active in how the town is run and used.

What to see

Tofana di Mezzo
Reached by the Freccia nel Cielo cable car from Corso Italia in three sections via Pomedes and Ra Valles, the ride climbing from the valley floor to open rock and long views over the Ampezzo basin.
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 and the anchor of its pedestrian street.
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, the wartime positions still legible among the towers.
Dolomiti Superski
Cortina is one of twelve resort hubs on this linked circuit, its lifts fanning out toward the surrounding peaks in every direction from town.
Cristallo and Faloria
Northeastern and eastern peaks above the valley, with the Faloria cable car from Cortina and a network of via ferrate climbing 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 where trains once ran before the line closed.

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

TivoliRistorante
Tivoli carries one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (86/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
Al CaminRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100) for Al Camin, and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Alajmo CortinaRistorante
Alajmo Cortina carries two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Baita Piè TofanaRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100) for Baita Piè Tofana, and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
SanBriteRistorante
SanBrite has one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (87/100).
Baita FrainaRistorante
Baita Fraina carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
El Brite de LarietoRistorante
El Brite de Larieto carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Rifugio OspitaleRistorante
Rifugio Ospitale carries one Gambero Rosso fork (77/100).
Ristorante de LENRistorante
Ristorante de LEN holds a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Villa OrettaRistorante
Villa Oretta holds one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).
Albergo MenardiHotel
Albergo Menardi carries a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Ancora CortinaHotel
A Leading Hotels of the World listing, at Ancora Cortina.
Eight CortinaHotel
Eight Cortina holds a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Faloria Mountain Spa ResortHotel
Faloria Mountain Spa Resort carries a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Hotel De la PosteHotel
Hotel De la Poste holds a place on Italy's historic-locali register.
Le Graal CortinaHotel
Le Graal Cortina carries a Leading Hotels of the World listing.

Living here

Population 5,546
Very remotei
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Venice, 1 h 54 min drive
Regional capital Venezia, 2 h 3 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 1224 m
Population: 5,546
Surface area: 252.81 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Bolzano

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.