Cortina deserves the appellation Queen of the Dolomites.
Since 2009, its mountains have been recognized as UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites: Tofane, Lagazuoi, 5 Torri, Averau, Sorapis, and Antelao.
For me, it was love at first sight. I was won over by the grandeur of its mountains, the Habsburg atmosphere, and the elegance with an antique flavor.
A few decades have passed since my first visit to Cortina. I have seen it in summer, winter, during the holiday season, and out of season. Depending on the time of year, the colors change—from the bright green of the meadows in spring-summer to the snowy white of the snow-capped peaks, passing through all the orange tones of autumn; and the flavors, hot goulash vs. speck tartare, but there is one constant: the feeling that up there, time flows more slowly.
Have you ever been to Cortina d’Ampezzo?
It is no longer the ski resort of the 1950s and 1960s, the one of the 1956 Winter Olympics, frequented by Hollywood actors and the international jet set.
Today, instead of that refined elegance, more is the display of wealth by the newly rich.
The best time to visit Cortina d’Ampezzo is off-season from February to mid-July. June is the most beautiful month of all if, like me, you love flowers. For a brief moment, Cortina becomes an enchanting corner of paradise and mountain again. This season, you will see grazing animals just a few kilometers from the center of the mountain village.
Cortina d’Ampezzo and the construction of a myth
Cortina d’Ampezzo is located in Ladinia, a historical-geographical area in the Upper Veneto region consisting of 18 municipalities, of which Cortina is the largest. It once spoke what is now considered by some a dialect, by others a language, Ladino.
The construction of the myth of the Pearl of the Dolomites began in the late 1800s when Cortina was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it would pass to the Kingdom of Italy after the end of World War I). The beauty of the basin attracted aristocracy from all over Europe.
And the myth of an elegant and worldly Cortina was already taking shape.
As much as the architecture, Cortina’s typical cuisine is also affected by Austrian rule. Knödel and goulash clearly descend from the Austro-Hungarian tradition. More tied to the territory, however, are Ampezzo’s casunziei (pasta stuffed with red turnip, topped with melted butter and poppy seeds), speck, cheeses, polenta, and mushroom dishes.
Today, Cortina is part of the Dolomiti Superski ski area.
My recommendations for a break
I recommend you try the mini savory sandwiches from Lovat’s pastry bar. Overlooking Corso Italia has always been a place I love for sandwiches and pizzas and the Hapsburg-style slices of cake.
Eyes to heart for Ghedina pastry shop: lifelong No. 1 fan of wild strawberry cream baskets and all their pastries (mignons and cakes).
Breathe, walk, eat
You can choose from many walks. Here, I point out my favorites and suggest a lunch break.
My favorite hikes are straightforward and undemanding.
Ra Stua: silence, nature, and lunch in an alpine hut
On the podium, in the first place, is the walk that starts from Malga Ra Stua.
The hut is located in the heart of the Ampezzo Dolomites Park. In winter, it can be reached only on foot or skis, but in summer, also by car or shuttle (the website has all the information). Between meadows and streams, I feel like I’m touching the sky with my finger. It certainly does for Emma, who loves to walk while keeping her paws between those clear, cool waters.
Lunch: reserve your table at Ra Stua before leaving for the walk.
Ampezzo Dolomites Nature Park
Staying within the park’s remarkable setting, choose your own route.
Leave your vehicle in the park parking lot and choose one indicated by the signs.
Or you can park near the Fiames restaurant (Fiames locality) and walk into the park on the forest path that runs along the Boite River.
To quench my hunger after a long, invigorating walk, I often choose the restaurant at the Hotel Villa Argentina. Frequented by bikers who go from there over the passes connecting Italy with Austria, it is the place to go for a Milanese schnitzel, sausage, chips, and ice-cold beer.
Or, farmhouse Jägerhaus – Ghedina.
Towards Infinity
The Giau Pass or Passo di Giau is a pass that connects Cortina d’Ampezzo with Selva di Cadore. A historic climb of the Giro d’Italia, it is a particularly scenic pass and among the highest in the Dolomites. From here, you can catch a glimpse of the most beautiful peaks (don’t forget that some are World Heritage Sites).
Lunch break: On your way back to Cortina, stop at the Peziè da Parù refuge. It offers excellent food, and if you still feel like walking after lunch, you can walk from here again.
Brite de Larieto, the farmhouse
Along the direction leading to Passo Tre Croci, leave the road to enter a larch forest and continue to the parking lot of El Brite de Larieto agritourism.
Several trails suitable for everyone start from the hut. Before going on the walk, reserve your table (if you go in high season, book several days in advance).
The products you taste here are processed at the family dairy, Piccolo Brite-area Alverà (where you can shop for milk, yogurt, cheese, and speck—all worth trying).
I tasted my first speck tartare here, and I was inspired to revisit the recipe.
Mountain Lakes
Pianozes Lake and Scin Lake. Both lakes offer postcard-perfect views, walks, and a lodge restaurant. At Pianozes, there is also a small wooden bar where you can choose a quicker, more informal lunch break.
Cortina d’Ampezzo downtown
Take a leisurely stroll down Corso Italia, admiring the details of the houses and stores.
I recommend:
If you’re in the mood for pizza, 5 Torri;
aperitivo at El Becalen: locals, good wine and sandwiches;
aperitivo at Hotel de la Poste: terrace on Corso Italia and atmosphere of yesteryear;
Shopping: Cooperativa di Cortina (if you want to buy spätzle, casunziei, and mountain bread, you’ll find good quality and a fair price here); Cesarino Fiorista (a beautiful nursery where you can take home mountain herbs and plants).
Outside the center, I’ll point you to two restaurants I really like: Villa Oretta and El Camineto (onion spaghetti to try at least once in your life).
Monica
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Curiosity
The Regole (Rules), the invisible government
The Regole is a very ancient system of government that is still in use in some places in northern Italy and Europe. They have different names, vicine, regole, participate, and consortia. Still, they all indicate a form of land management that, by ancient custom, belonged and belonged to the community. This arrangement establishes collective rights of usufruct. Land cannot be sold nor subjected to change of use: it is a natural, cultural, and economic heritage that must remain in the availability of the entire community. In Cortina, forests and pastures are under the government of the Regole d’Ampezzo, which decides, for example, to which families to entrust them. The Regolieri are the heads of the families descended from the original Ampezzo community. They are the ones in the assembly who administer and make decisions.
It is an ancient system of government; too bad it remains stubbornly macho and has not yet made any opening to women, who are excluded from the Regole and the administration of a heritage that belongs to the entire community.
