Cortina d'Ampezzo — Dolomiti Superski

Cortina d'Ampezzo will host the 2026 Winter Olympics, cementing its status as Italy's most glamorous ski resort. Set among the pink-hued limestone towers of the Dolomites, the resort offers 120km of its own pistes and sits within the vast Dolomiti Superski network — over 1,200km of interconnected skiing across the wider region.

The terrain leans intermediate more than extreme. The Tofane area, Cortina's highest and the venue for the 2026 Olympic downhill, holds the resort's most demanding pistes alongside dramatic views of the surrounding peaks. Faloria and Cristallo suit a wide range of abilities, while Lagazuoi — better known in summer for its via ferrata and WWI tunnels — offers scenic, moderate skiing with a mountain hut at the top.

The Dolomiti Superski pass covers Cortina and the surrounding valleys. The resort is reached by car or bus from Venice (about 2 hours) or Innsbruck (about 2 hours) — there's no direct train. At a relatively low altitude for the Dolomites, conditions can be more variable than in the western Alps; January and February typically offer the most reliable snow.

Cortina's identity is as much about style as skiing. Corso Italia, the main street, is lined with the kind of boutiques more associated with Milan than a ski town, and the aperitivo culture is as central to the day as the skiing itself. Lago Ghedina offers winter ice skating nearby, and hotels like the Cristallo and De la Poste anchor a genuinely luxury end of the market.