Considered the Italian supermodel of ski resorts, Cortina d’Ampezzo is fashionable and undeniably beautiful
For our Italia Living readers, I would like to share an ideal destination for Italian holidays in the mountains — the best and possibly most beautiful place for skiers in Italy, the Queen of the Dolomites, Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is a popular holiday and winter sports resort in the Dolomites in the province of Belluno. Cortina is the only Italian town to be included in the Best of the Alps; the group of the 12 best Alpine centers. A chic place, frequented by the international jet-set and “regular” families who choose it for both for winter holidays, and for those of summer. In winter, Cortina becomes the home of winter sports, thanks to its famed slopes of the ski areas of the Crystal, Faloria, Mietres, Tofana, Lagazuoi and Cinque Torri, a total of 120 km of pure fun, inserted in the Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites, run by the Rules d’Ampezzo, and in the Dolomiti Superski.
I suggest you enjoy your vacation lodging at the Rosapetra Spa Resort. This resort offers a superb stay to celebrate the body, mind and senses, in a perfect balance of relaxation and enjoyment, nature and elegance, health and pleasure. All of the rooms and suites at the Rosapetra Resort, most with private terraces, form part of an intimate and cosy atmosphere with stunning views across the glorious Ampezzano Dolomite Mountains.
During your stay, I suggest you also take a break in Rifugio Lagazuoi, on the summit of Mount Lagazuoi (2.752 meters) above the Falzarego, between Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val Badia. In this shelter, will feel just three meters above the sky, where you can enjoy unforgettable sunrises and sunsets on the roof of the world.
And when the night falls, you can experience the real beauty of the mountain wrapped in her immense silence and illuminated by the moon and the stars in the Squirrels Refuge (Rifugio Scoiattoli). This rooftop terrace of the Dolomites, is located right on the ski slopes of the Dolomiti Superski; do not miss a bath in the barrel, dipped in hot water, sipping champagne. The water in which you relax is constantly heated by a wood stove, so you can be outdoors enjoying a very unusual, yet enjoyable situation.
In this magical place, between skiing and other snow sports, enjoy a snowshoe walk to where you can have some refreshments before the warmth of a parlor with a burning fireplace, dip into a sauna or a hot tab all while relaxing and admiring the whitewashed peaks of our beautiful Dolomites.
And unmissable is the shopping along Corso, Italy. Experience exclusive shops and the amazing after-ski spots where you can drink, dance and socialize with local people after a long day of contact with the snow. And the evening you’ll discover all the best gastronomic places.
The Ampezzana kitchen largely reflects the Tyrolean cuisine, with simple ingredients but rich in flavor: casunziei, dumplings, speck, barley soups, polenta and liqueurs. Once you’ve arrived to Cortina, I suggest you go the new easy chic restaurant l’Altro Vissani, inside the prestigious Hotel Bellevue. The dishes of chef Vissani recall the genuine Venetian cuisine, re-interpreted with great imagination.
For people like me who are lovers of snowboarding and want to improve their technique, discovering the mountains while being guided by an excellent teacher of the place is a must. I suggest the teacher Sandro Zardini Lacelli. You can contact him at www.snowboardcortina.it/sandro-zardini-lacedelli-szl.html. The school is top rated and Sandro will most certainly take care of you, as the expert he is. He speaks English and is hugely patient, making lessons perfect for beginners and those skiers with all levels of experience.
By Eleonora Sepe
Every Italian place hides a secret ready to be discovered – and Eleonora shares some of those here on Italia Living.