Information about Cortina

Introduction

Do you want to have more information about Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Pearl of the Dolomites? On this page, we provide you with exclusive information and insights that you won't find on the usual tourist websites.

Tips on where to park your car, the cultural and geological history of Cortina, and the famous marching band parade. Don't miss the chance to learn more about Cortina as told by those who live here every day. Are you ready to start this journey?

Public Services

Let's begin by briefly outlining the main public services available in Cortina d'Ampezzo. You will find further details and our dedicated pages with information about Cortina below. In this introductory chapter, we will discuss, in order:

• Public restrooms
• Law enforcement
• Health services
• Information offices
• Library
• Museums and churches
• Public transportation

The public restrooms can be found beneath the Town Hall of Cortina, near the Cooperative. To access them from Corso Italia, you need to go down via Varentin, the cobblestone street located between the Town Hall and the Elettronia Majoni shop. The restrooms will be on your left, in the basement of the Town Hall building. The facilities are open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and might require a 50-cent Euro payment to unlock the door.

The law enforcement has several offices located throughout the town. The Police Station is situated in Largo Poste, on the fourth floor of the large concrete building by Gellner, with an entrance via the Gallery next to the Sovilla bookstore.

The Carabinieri barracks and the Fire Brigade station are located just a few meters apart on via delle Guide. The Municipal Police office is situated within the Cortina station, but will be relocated near the Town Hall after the redevelopment works.

The hospital in Cortina is currently under renovation, and all its activities have been temporarily moved to the Putti hospital, where you can find the emergency room or undergo medical check-ups. Regarding the local health authority, the Cortina district office is located at the intersection of via Grohmann and via Cesare Battisti, in the same building where the medical on-call service can also be found.

The tourist information office and the municipal library are both located in the Comun Vecio building, situated between piazza Roma and Corso Italia. The information office is on the ground floor, easily accessible from both the Corso and the piazza, while the library is on the first floor. To reach it, you need to take the door located in the middle of the building on the Corso Italia side.

The churches in Cortina d'Ampezzo are not limited to the Basilica of Saints Philip and James. In addition to the Church of Our Lady of Defense, located near the municipal cemetery, the town boasts several small peripheral churches, where services and even some weddings are held. The main ones are:

• Church of Saint Francis, in the heart of the town.
• Church of Saint Anthony of Padua, in Chiave.
• Chapel of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, in Grava di Sotto.
• Church of Saints Nicholas, Blaise, and Anthony, in Ospitale.
• Chapel of the Holy Trinity, in the Maion area.
• Church of Saint Roch, in Zuel.
• Church of Saint Juliana, in Alverà.
• Church of Saint Candide, in Campo di Sopra.
• Alpine Chapel of "Pian de ra Costaza", in Vervei.

In Cortina, there are also three museums, managed by the Regole d'Ampezzo. Specifically, the Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum is an art gallery housed within the Ciasa de Ra Regoles. The Rinaldo Zardini Paleontological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum of the Regole d'Ampezzo are located within the Alexander Hall, a multifunctional center just a few steps from the center of Cortina. For more detailed information about the Regole museums, we have discussed them extensively on the dedicated page:

The Museums of the Regole Three interesting museums: an art gallery, an ethnographic museum, and a fossil collection. Reading time: 6 min.

Public transportation in Cortina is well-organized. There are seven urban bus lines, complemented by seasonal ski buses and extra-urban coaches. The entire network is managed by the Dolomitibus company, whose official website provides updated schedules.

The buses offer extensive coverage of the territory, connecting the outskirts with the town center and major tourist spots such as ski resorts. Tickets can be purchased at many affiliated shops or directly on board. For more information about the lines and ticket points of sale, we invite you to visit the Ampezzo services website.

For further details about bus schedules or to purchase tickets, you can contact the bus ticket office, located within the tourist information office. Please note that it may be closed during lunch hours.

Tourist Seasonality

Cortina d'Ampezzo, like all touristic destinations, is a town affected by seasonality, with months of high touristic presence alternating with months of great tranquility.

Depending on the time of year you decide to visit Cortina, you may find all the hotels full and a town as busy as possible, or a very quiet place, but with some stores and several hospitality facilities closed for the off-season.

Each period has its positives and negatives. If you like tranquility and contact with nature, peak times should be avoided, while, if you like social life and hustle and bustle, you should come in the high season, such as Christmas or August. If you find this topic interesting, you can read our in-depth look at tourism flows below:

Cortina's seasonality Let's discover the tourist influx to Cortina. A detailed analysis of every month of the year. Reading time: 12 min.

Parking in Cortina

Parking in Cortina is not easy, but in some moments of the year it really becomes a problem. There are many parking lots scattered around the town, more or less known. The main ones are quite large, but in some cases they are occupied by events, construction sites or maintenance work. There are also some smaller and less known places for parking, but they are not as near as those in the center.

Parking in Cortina is not easy, so we recommend, when possible, to move around on foot, to avoid unnecessary time wasting and annoying searches. If you have to move your car, for example because you need to go to buy groceries, you may choose less busy hours, such as early in the morning.

If you live far from the center of the town and you need to take the car, it will be better to do some advance planning. We recommend reading our article on where to park in Cortina d'Ampezzo, in which we describe all the parking lots, even the most secret ones. You can find it below:

Where to park in Cortina Valuable tips for parking your car. A complete list and map of all the car parks in Cortina. Reading time: 7 min.

History of Cortina

Knowing the history of a place allows us to better understand its nature. The earliest trace of human activity in the areas of Cortina dates to about 6000 B.C. and was obtained through the discovery of the burial of a Mesolithic hunter near Mondeval.

The first trace of habitation in Ampezzo dates back to about 1156. Since then the village has grown bit by bit into what we know today.

Cortina's history has gone through various sovereigns: from the Republic of Venice, to the Kingdom of Austria, and has known periods of peace as well as periods of war. Outposts, such as the Podestagno Fortress, have played major roles in safeguarding the territory.

Entities such as the "Regole d'Ampezzo" made it possible to maintain a certain independence over the centuries from those who ruled over these lands. If this topic interests you, we invite you to read the page on the history of Ampezzo. You'll find it below:

History of Cortina A brief history of the town of Cortina, from Mondeval man to the present day, with highlights. Reading time: 14 min.

Geological history of the Dolomites

The Dolomites are unique geological formations in the world. First, they are among the very few light-colored mountains in the world. Second, they are one of the very few places in the world where the stratifications are so clearly visible. Finally, geologically, they have created nearly three centuries of headaches for scientists, to understand the origin of their formation.

Although the formation process of Dolomite, the rock of which the Dolomites are composed, was known as early as 1700, no scientist has been able to reproduce it in the laboratory at room temperature, at least until 1995. If the subject fascinates you, and you want to know more about how the Dolomites were formed, we invite you read the page on the geological history of the Dolomites below:

Geology of the Dolomites The history of the Dolomites and the Dolomite, the rock of which they are composed. Reading time: 9 min.

What Are the Six Sestieri of Ampezzo

The town of Cortina originally consisted of several districts which all belonged to the same municipality. These villages were called "Sestieri." Every Sestiere was coordinated by the boss of a "Sestiere," who was in charge of checking that everything was working properly, as well as bringing the complaints of the various hamlets to the municipality.

Over time the geographic subdivision became less and less defined, as the town increased in size and the various hamlets began to merge with each other.

With the arrival of fascism, the tradition of the "Sestieri" had almost completely disappeared, but it was decided to preserve it by creating a sports competition. Its purpose was to renew the spirit of belonging to a "Sestiere" using the competitive spirit. The winter cross-country palio was born.

If you enjoyed the topic and would like to explore it further, please read the page on Ampezzo's "Sestieri" in the past and nowadays below:

What are the "Sestieri" A non-profit association, a cultural heritage and a geographical division. Reading time: 6 min.

What Are the Village Festivals

The village festivals of Cortina were one of the most characteristic events of the Ampezzo summer. There were six local festivals, one for each district, where you could eat typical dishes, drink and have fun.

The village festivals were organized every year in each one of the six districts of Cortina. Over time, each festival assumed its own particular identity, from the more touristy to the more suitable for eating, up to the one where you can party a little more and let yourself go a little.

The reason we are using the past tense is because, after the Covid lockdowns and with the arrival of the 2026 Olympics, there are major changes expected in the future.

If the topic interests you, and you would like to explore it further, we have written a page where we explain the different village festivals, the origins of this tradition and the sports activities associated with them. You'll also find updated information on how the event will be organized in the future. All you have to do is read the page below:

The "Feste Campestri" The Village festivals of Cortina: a loved summer tradition where eat and have fun together. Reading time: 9 min.

Ra Fèŝta de ra Bàndes

"Ra Fèŝta de ra Bàndes" is one of the most heartfelt events for guests and residents of Cortina. A week of music, which ends on the last Sunday of August with the big parade in the "Corso Italia" street and the concert, where hundreds of musicians play together in one of the squares of Cortina.

Throughout the week, the kiosk of the Music Band remains open, which will allow you to drink a beer or a glass of wine while listening to one of the evening concerts of the bands hosted in the "shell," a structure for giving a roof to the Music Bands. On Saturday evening, a big concert, more rytmical and young, introduces the Sunday of celebrations.

If you want to know more about the event and the Cortina d'Ampezzo Marching Band, as well as the most appropriate traditional clothes to wear during the event, we invite you to visit the page we wrote on the subject. You can see it below:

Ra Fèŝta de ra Bàndes A Marching Bands Festival: the last Sunday of August is a day full of fun and music. Reading time: 7 min.

The Bell Tower of Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo bell tower has been erected on the remains of the old, rather anonymous, bell tower dating back to 1590, which had to be demolished due to a series of structural problems.

The construction of the new bell tower began in 1852 and has been well described in the excellent book "El Cianpanín, storia del campanile di Cortina d'Ampezzo" by Mario Ferruccio Belli and further approached in the book "Il campanile di Cortina d'Ampezzo, l'architettura del compromesso," by Giuliano Cilione. The only problem is that both books are written only in Italian.

We took inspiration from the book, we translated it and supplemented it with other interesting facts, so as to give as much information as possible about the symbol of Cortina. The fruits of our labor can be read on our page on the Cortina Bell Tower. It can be found below:

The bell tower of Cortina Everything you ever wanted to know, and more, about the amazing Cortina's bell tower. Reading time: 6 min.

The Military Memorial of Pocol

The Military Memorial of Pocol is the large stone tower visible looking west from the center of Cortina, in the direction of Pocol. It is an ossuary erected in 1935 by engineer Giovanni Raimondi, where are kept the remains of 9,707 Italian fallen soldiers, of whom 4,455 remain unknown.

This is the most impressive memorial of the Dolomites. Visiting this ossuary gives the opportunity to visit a small outdoor war museum of great historical interest free of charge. Reading thousands of names of fallen soldiers evokes feelings that are difficult to describe.

The shrine is open on working days, except Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. It can easily be reached by car, following the signs for "Passo Giau - Passo Falzarego." If you want more information on the Pocol ossuary, we invite you to read the dedicated page below:

The Pocol Military Memorial An evocative ossuary near Cortina, one less known spot in the town, but of sure interest. Reading time: 6 min.

Native Animals of Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a small natural oasis of Dolomite wildlife, all the species live in the Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park. The park is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in the Dolomites and here lives more than thirty species of mammals, more than one hundred species of birds and sexteen species of amphibians, reptiles and fish.

In the following article we are going to describe what animals you can meet in Cortina, divided by categories, from the largest to the smallest, from the most frequent to the rarest.

This is a light-hearted page, suitable for those who want to have an overview on the subject, but it allows you to delve deeper thanks to the presence of many links to Wikipedia, where you can study the Ampezzo fauna in more detail. It can be found below:

The animals of Cortina A brief description of Cortina's fauna: from the smallest to the most majestic animals. Reading time: 6 min.

Other Must Read Articles

This page is a collection of useful information about Cortina, but there are also other "must read" articles on our website.

The first article we recommend is a page about the things to do in Cortina in the different seasons. What to do in summer, in winter, if it rains and the things that should be seen in our town. You can read it below:

What to do in Cortina The most interesting activities to spend your time in Cortina d'Ampezzo, at any time of the year. Reading time: 6 min.

Another article we want to recommend is about the experiences you may do to experience Cortina at its best: Where to eat, have fun, party and practice sport. You can read it beneath:

Living Cortina d'Ampezzo The most beautiful hikes, the best restaurants and places to have fun in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Reading time: 6 min.

You may also be interested in things to do in the surroundings of Cortina, especially if your holiday is more than a few days long. In this case you should not miss the article below:

The surroundings of Cortina All the most interesting activities and places to discover near Cortina d'Ampezzo. Reading time: 6 min.

The last article we want to recommend is about the best hiking routes for your holiday's walks. If you are interested in this topic, you should click the link below:

Best hikes in Cortina The most beautiful hikes to do in Cortina d'Ampezzo, from the easiest to the most difficult. Reading time: 6 min.

Conclusion

We hope you liked this page on the informative articles we have written about Cortina d'Ampezzo. Before saying goodbye, we would suggest you read our home page, with all the articles we wrote about Cortina d'Ampezzo.

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