'Cortina d'Ampezzo' (
German: 'Petsch-Hayden' until 1918) is a town and municipality in the
province of Belluno,
Veneto, northern
Italy. Located in the
Dolomites, it is a popular
winter sport resort.
Among the most exclusive and expensive mountain locations in Europe, or indeed in the world, Cortina is known for its first-class hotels and shops.
Geography
The area of Cortina d'Ampezzo is characterized by the typical Dolomite environment, mostly covered with large lawns intermingled with
pinophyta woods. The most famous peaks in the city's neighbourhood include
Le Tofane,
Il Cristallo and
Le Cinque Torri. Fauna include
marmots,
reindeers,
roe deers,
chamoises and
hares.
Culture
The surroundings of Cortina have been the location for a number of movies, including ''
Cliffhanger'' starring
Sylvester Stallone, ''
Krull'', the
James Bond film ''
For Your Eyes Only'' and ''
The Pink Panther'' starring
David Niven and
Peter Sellers.
Cortina d'Ampezzo was the host town of the
1956 Winter Olympics. The
1944 Winter Olympics were also scheduled to be held in Cortina, but were cancelled because of
World War II. The
1927 Nordic,
1941 Nordic and 1941
Alpine World Skiing Championships were held in Cortina as well though the 1941 Nordic championships were withdrawn by the
FIS in
1946. The region lost the bid for the
1988 Winter Olympics to
Calgary, Canada.
Cortina was home of Olympic bobsledder
Eugenio Monti who was the first winner of the de Coubertin medal for fair play.
Close to Cortina d'Ampezzo is
San Vito di Cadore.
External links
★
Postcards from Cortina d'Ampezzo
★
Cortina d'Ampezzo (in English)
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