CORTINA D'AMPEZZO

'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.

Contents

Geography

Culture

External links

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and 1941 Alpine World Skiing Championships were held in Cortina as well though the 1941 Nordic championships were withdrawn by the FIS in 1946.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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