George Clooney's favourite ski resort

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Well-known as a high-end ski-resort favoured by celebrities including George Clooney, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the surrounding area is increasingly becoming an all-year-round destination. From June to October, snow gives way to meadows of wild flowers and a network of walking, hiking, biking and climbing routes.

I spend a morning with mountain bike guide Fabio, who takes me along Cortina’s disused railway track, now a 30km cycle route through forests of larch and pine.

Fabio’s family are ‘Ampezzani’, the name given to the region’s longest-serving residents. His ancestors set up home here in the 13th century, first as farmers, then as ironmongers. Fabio is a ski instructor in winter time and is obscenely fit for 51. A father of three, whose wife is a florist, he can’t imagine living anywhere else. ‘My life is here,’ he says.

We make our way up and down pine-needle paths and shale, taking in the ruin of an 8th-century castle and dipping our feet into an ice-cold mountain stream.

While Cortina is definitely a draw for the adventurous, there is plenty to do if you prefer more gentle activity. The town itself feels more Austrian than Italian, with carved wooden balconies and baskets of geraniums. Designer brands are wedged between the outdoor-wear shops, and in the evenings well-groomed locals and visitors sip Aperol spritzers. My spacious room at the Hotel Franceschi looked out over mountain peaks and was a five-minute walk from Pasticceria Alvera, brilliant for morning croissants or afternoon cake.

There are easy walks or drives to surrounding villages and lakes, and I’d recommended lunch or dinner at Il Brite de Larieto, a working farm and restaurant two kilometres out of town. Everything on the menu is made here, from ham and cheese to fennel-seed bread and traditional dumplings.

The region’s mountain refuges are also reachable without hiking for miles as lots of them have cable cars which take you close by.

Travel facts
British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Venice Marco Polo ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and Monarch flies from Birmingham International to Venice Marco Polo ([You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Flight prices vary according to when you book and the timings.

The two-hour coach transfer from Venice to Cortina with Cortina Express costs €22 one way.

Half-board rates at the four-star Francheschi Park Hotel cost from €75 per person per day: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Half-board in dormitory accommodation at Rifugio Averau costs from €55 per person per day.

Cortina d'Ampezzo is one of 12 select resorts belonging to the European association ‘Best of the Alps’: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Best in Category wrote:Cortina is great!

No need to ski / know how to ski in order to enjoy there
(before ski, after ski - no need to ski )