36 Hours in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy: Things to Do and See

Cortina’s surrounding mountains are all dramatic, but to take a ski lift from Bai de Dones to Cinque Torri (“five towers”) is to arrive on an astonishing alternate planet of rugged limestone stacks well above the tree line. The area marks the beginning of one of Ampezzo’s most spectacular skiing landscapes, though the mostly intermediate-level slopes are wide, rolling and mellow. From Bai de Dones, a cable car also brings skiers to the Lagazuoi peak, the starting point of the Hidden Valley trail, which winds past frozen waterfalls and sheer cliffs, and ends with a horse-drawn ski tow (€8). (During the Olympics, check Dolomiti Superski to see open trails and lifts.) Other adventure options: cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking in all seasons, with a comprehensive trail guide available on CiaoCortina, a locally run website.

Named after Cortina’s first rock-climbers’ club, Rifugio Scoiattoli (“squirrels”) was founded in 1969 and remains one of Ampezzo’s most loved mountain lodges. Lunch is steadfastly local, with fresh-made casunziei pasta stuffed with beets and poppy seeds, goulash stew with polenta and canederli speck dumplings (dishes from €13). Fashion brand logos are printed on tablecloths and everywhere else — part of an unfortunate sponsorship trend in Cortina — but the old timber floors and booths remain, as do the unbeatable views. After a couple of post-lunch runs, enjoy an après-ski bombardino cocktail of eggnog and brandy, or a glass of bubbly on the sunny terrace facing the Cinque Torri — the storied rock-climbing destination of the Scoiattoli and generations of alpinists.

Cortina’s main drag is lined with luxury boutiques, including brand-new Prada and Loro Piana stores — but niche, local and artisan goods also abound. Drawing on two centuries of wool-making, Paoletti di Follina 1795 sells sophisticated women’s jackets and other Tyrolean and equestrian-inspired, artisan-made clothing. Ghedina Zuccaro has Alpine styles for men, women and children, including wool socks hand-stitched with flowers that make great gifts (€18). Magamaison is a wunderkammer of embroidered pillowcases, natural-dyed table linens and other homegoods, while amid the jumbled kitchenwares at Sottosopra are souvenir-worthy Alpine felted slippers (from €62). Designer sunglasses? Choose a small-production pair at Indice. For gorgeous traditional local crafts like filigree flowers of delicate silver-wire, explore the treasure trove of Verocai Antiques. (Note that stores close for lunch.)

Merenda, a mid-afternoon snack, is a Tyrolean ritual everyone can appreciate. Pasticceria Alverà, founded in 1914 when Cortina still belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire, draws on the Viennese pastry heritage, with specialties such as jewel-like mignon pastries (€1.50 each) of raspberry with pistachio, and other bright, Italian-inspired flavors, as well as the Dolomites’ Schüttelbrot, a rye flatbread with caraway seeds (€1.50 each). At La Fregola, the baker Cecilia Gabrieli prepares her grandmother’s cakes and other home-style Ampezzo recipes, including classic linzer tarts, shortbread cookies and apple strudels (from €3.50 each). Her tiny outpost lacks a seating area, but just across the street are park benches facing the mountains.

Cortina’s three municipal museums introduce visitors to different aspects of the area within a short distance of each other, starting with the Mario Rimoldi Museum of Modern Art, where a local collector’s donation of more than 300 works showcases prominent early 20th-century Italian artists like Giorgio de Chirico and Giorgio Morandi (€8). The Rinaldo Zardini Paleontology Museum houses a remarkable wealth of fossils unearthed in the Dolomites; behind it, the Ethnographic Museum displays regional folk traditions, including Ampezzo’s filigree tremui — floral silver hair ornaments — and customary special occasion outfits (combined ticket €8). Note: Museums are closed for the Olympics; the Ethnographic Museum may be open by reservation. For a hands-on alternative, the glass artist Claudia Alverà offers family-friendly group workshops at her studio (one hour, €40 per person).

At aperitivo hour, Cortina’s main drag and side streets fill with evening merrymakers. The coziest spot in town is Enoteca Cortina, a pocket-size wine bar from 1962, hidden behind a curtained door. Inside, wooden booth seats face out so the whole room can fraternize. There’s a special magic conjured by its cellar of more than 500 wine labels, an easygoing atmosphere, and a mix of Ampezzani and Cortina’s repeat visitors (glasses from €6). Down the street, El Becalen is a decades-old, wood-paneled institution where regulars’ drinks appear on the bar before they even order them. Everyone knows almost everyone, and their aperitivo of choice (drinks from €4).

In Cortina, rustic mountain cabins called baitas serve high-flying cuisine to a well-heeled clientele. Alajmo Cortina, one baita-turned-haute-dining destination, is owned by the Alajmo brothers who have earned Michelin stars elsewhere in Veneto, serving paprika tagliatelle with fiolaro broccoli, a local heritage variety, and tiramisù made tableside (two courses, €85; eight-course tasting menu, €165). The owners of another baita, the celebrated Baita Piè Tofana (closed for the Olympics) have opened the brand-new 1224 restaurant with elegant versions of casunziei and polenta served with roast eel (two courses, €84; four-course tasting menu €110). For traditional (and cheaper) baita vibes in the middle of town, Ristorante Ra Stua, founded in 1937, serves meats raised at the owner’s Padua farm, alongside humble but delicious housemade pastas (pasta from €20; meat dishes from €34).