Cortina

Cortina d'Ampezzo is an attractive high-altitude town in the northern extremity of the Veneto region of Italy. It is a popular and well-equipped base for a full range of mountain activites. In winter the town is a busy skiing destination, with several cable cars and access to many ski runs. In the summer months the town is a good hiking centre for keen walkers, and also for energetic mountain bikers.

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern (Dolomitic) Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene. After the scheduled 1944 Olympics had been cancelled because of WWII, it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics as well as various world cup events and motion pictures. Much of 1963 classic The Pink Panther, the progenitor of the series, was filmed in Cortina. One of the memorable James Bond stunt sequences in 1981's For Your Eyes Only, gunners on spike-wheeled motorcycles chasing Roger Moore on skis, was filmed on its slopes, as were several scenes in the film Cliffhanger. It is also known for its Jet set and European aristocracy crowd.

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and 1941 Alpine World Skiing Championships were held in Cortina as well, although the 1941 Nordic championships were withdrawn by the FIS in 1946. The region lost the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics to Calgary, Canada.

The city is home to SG Cortina, a professional ice hockey team currently playing in the country's top division, Serie A1.

Cortina was the home of Olympic bobsledder Eugenio Monti, who was the first winner of the de Coubertin medal for fair play.