The Mountains: Cortina and the Dolomites

Thanks to the three-lane highway which reaches Pian di Vedoia, the Dolomites are a few tens of minutes from Venice. In about two hours we can reach Cortina d'Ampezzo just in time for an aperitif in the elegant premises in the pearl of the Dolomites.
There we can then go up the wide curves of Passo tre Croci which, despite the low altitude of 1805 meters above sea level, offers wonderful views to look at the coral peaks such as Monte Cristallo and the Tre Cime.

Crossed the pass between the conifers of the Val di Landro we can see the intense emerald of Lake Misurina.

The small pool has banks full of green conifers which, combined with the reflection of the Dolomite massive mountains, give the lake Misurina a special feeling of peace and tranquility. Among all Dolomite mountain lakes, the lake Misurina is one of the smallest and perhaps with the Carezza it is the most graceful and charming. This lake combines the serene lake atmosphere with the exciting one typical of the high peaks of the Dolomites.

You can eat in that enchanted area with the typical foods from woods and pastures and then return to Cortina for the afternoon shopping, among boutiques and the craftsmanship of one of the most famous mountain resort in the World; enjoy a stroll in the downtown, without haveing to walk from far public car parks outside the city, thanks to licenses issued to our tenants by local authorities.

On 15 June 1156, the feast of Saint Vitus Martyr, two brothers named John and Paganello registered the purchase of a land located in "Ampitium Cadubri" at a notary. It is the first document where the name of Ampezzo appairs: a parchment held in the archives in San Vito, a village ten kilometers far from Cortina, where the buyers lived.

The ski slopes in Cortina, which descend to the town from the most beautiful mountains among the Dolomites, house national and international championships since the beginning of this winter sport: projected to house the Winter Olympics in 1944, this event in Cortina was moved to 1956 because of the World War II.

On the way back, the pre-Alps and the Dolomites will be protagonists of the landscape, crossing Passo Falzarego between the majesty of the Towers of Fanes, of Lagazuoi, of Tofane...

These mountains were the battlefield between Italians and Austrians during the Great War. On the faces we can still see traces of vertiginous walkways, the camouflaged stations, the wounds inflicted to the mountains by the fierce war of mine that the two armies carried out to move away the enemy from secure positions. The summit of the Col di Lana, which can be seen in the distance from Passo Falzarego, was destroyed and transformed into a huge crater because of a big explosion in a tunnel.

The descent through the Parco Nazionale of the Belluno Alps will allow us to cross the mining country in Agordo or the splendid medieval town of Feltre, and route to Venice, according to the assessments on time and traffic, along the Brenta River and its lakes in Valsugana and then go to the romantic town of Bassano and the Middle Age walls of Castelfranco Veneto.

If time and traffic were not favorable, a convenient and quick return could be made through the Venice-Belluno highway.