Cortina & The Dolomites
Cortina d'Ampezzo or more simply know as Cortina is one of Italy's most famous ski towns. It is very expensive and high class but it has every imaginable outdoor activity and is breathtaking.
Cortina is perfectly nestled between the mountains and has gorgeous views in every direction. It is a winter paradise and all the shops and town are very walkable. The food is delicious and you can find specialty deserts, candies and chocolates everywhere.
Winter Olympics-There is a lot of hard work going into preparing for the games from new new hotels to fresh paint jobs to new bridges and widened highways but Cortina will be ready for the 2026 Olympic Games. They have hosted the olympics before back in 1956 but this is the new age and major upgrades and infrastructure is required.
The drive up to the Dolomite Mountains is fantastic.
We stopped in a small town on the way up for a coffee and bathroom timeout. This church had god and the heavens above shining down on it and what you see in the picture really doesn’t do this scene enough justice. The background mountains are the Austrian Alps.
The Dolomites also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They are considered the Italian Alps and have very distinct look and feel to them. They have sharp rough edges at the top and have the nickname Pale Mountains because they change wild shades in the light as seen below.
Late October is the great time to visit, all the colors are changing and put on quite the show.
Top of the Dols- You have to drive 40 minutes up to reach the cable car. From there you can hike or take the cables to the top. Once you reach the platform the trails go on various peeks, over to Austria or just some random exploring. These peaks are interesting in other way because major battles took place here during World War 1. The Austrian and Italians battled here for years and you can still see the caves and trenches they used while they battled each other and the elements.
Maps of Cortina and Dolomites-
