Cortina in the Dolomites

Wednesday, 24 August 2016

◄ Cortina – one of those very swish-looking Italian alpine towns, a place that simply looks expensive!

It was the last stop on my recent France and Italy circuit. Way back in 1971 on the first Europe trip Maureen and I ever made we camped just north of Cortina in Dobbiaco. This time we were in Cortina itself, staying at a friend’s place. Essentially Cortina is a skiing area, but it’s beautiful anytime of year and in summer walking is the main activity.

 

▲Walking from Rifugio Lagazuoi to Rifugio Scotoni

We started at the Funivia Lagazuoi cable car which carried us up to WW I emplacements, which in 1916 must have been miserably cold hideaways for the conflict between Austria (or the Austro-Hungarian Empire as it would have been then) and Italy.

From there we walked, mainly downhill, to the delightful Rifugio Scotoni Hütte mountain restaurant where we encountered (along with a lot of good food) skiwasser – a popular non-alcoholic drink up here, lemon juice, raspberry flavouring and soda?

The next day it was a chairlift at Monte Cristallo followed by a walk following a river down a valley to Ristorante Ospitale for more good food.

▲ From the top of the chairlift you could look up the even steeper Son Forca-Forcella Staunies lift with its cute little capsules