Cortina d'Ampezzo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comune di Cortina d'Ampezzo |
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 Municipal coat of arms |
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| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Veneto |
| Province | Belluno (BL) |
| Elevation | 1,211 m (3,973 ft) |
| Area | 254.51 km² (98 sq mi) |
| Population (as of December 21, 2005) | |
| - Total | 5,954 |
| - Density | 23/km² (60/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | Ampezzani |
| Dialing code | 0436 |
| Postal code | 32043 |
| Frazioni | see list |
| Cortina d'Ampezzo | |
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| Location: | |
| Nearest city: | Belluno |
| Top elevation: | 2,930 m |
| Base elevation: | 1,224 m |
| Runs: | 101 (140 km) |
| Longest run: | 11 km |
| Lift system: | 30 chairlifts, 6 gondolas, 15 surface lifts |
| Web site: | Cortina-Ski.com |
Cortina d'Ampezzo (German: Petsch-Hayden) is a town and municipality in the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the Dolomites, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene.
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[edit] Geography
Cortina is situated to the center of the Valle d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites, and is positioned between Cadore (to the south) and the Val Pusteria (to north), Val d' Ansiei (to east) and Agordo (to the west). It is encircled to 360° from the Dolomites. Amongst the more famous mountains are Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, and Faloria and Sorapiss to east, and Becco di Mezzodì, and Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to south. The city center is located at an alitude of 1224 m, although the highest summit is that of the Tofana di Mezzo which towers at 3244 m. There is a significant water presence in the territory, under the form of torrents, streams and little lakes (Ghedina, Pianozes, d'Ajal...), which fill particularly during the summer snow melt season. Fauna include marmots, roe deers, chamoises and hares.
[edit] Cityscape
Cortina is situated more or less to the center of the Ampezzana valley, encircled nearly completely on four sides from the high Dolomites. Originally it was composed from numerous frazioni, isolated villages and hamelts, but with the advent of the tourism it grew rapidly from the 1950s. Only the furthest villages and hamlets in the commune have remained secluded and isolated from the main town, which today is known for its shopping. Cortina is home to some of the most prestigious names in fashion including Bulgari, Benetton, Gucci and Geox and various artisan shops, antiquarians, and craft stores such as El Lavieso, Frajo , Art House and Artigianato tipico ampezzano. It is also home to many stores which specialize in mountaineering equipment such as The North Face, Tecnica, K2 Sport Lacedelli, Quota 1224 sport, Salomon Shop, Kobe Sport.
However, the symbol of cortinese shopping remains La Cooperativa di Cortina, founded on June 28, 1893 under the name of Consumverein Ampezzo. In this shopping center many trades can be found, from confectionary to newspaper vendors, from toys and gift shops to skiing stores and blacksmiths. The building is divided in three layers (more a raised plan and a balcony). The cooperative in Cortina was one of the first cooperatives founded in the Italian Peninsula and currently it provides employment to approximately 200 people. Near the bridge on the Bigontina river there is the Town hall, an elegant palace in the Tirolese style. There is the Piazza Venezia known for its bar-pastry shop Lovat, one of the popular social spots in Cortina, and the Ciasa de ra Regoles and the Conchiglia. The Ciasa de ra Regoles is one of the more important legal buildings in Cortina from where the " regolieri" , a council for the local villages that stood before the town merged, trained the community and gave adminsitrative orders. In the same building today is found also the office of the 'Scuola Sci Cortina, Cortina's skiiing school.
[edit] Culture
The surroundings of Cortina have been the location for a number of movies, including certain mountain climbing scenes of Cliffhanger starring Sylvester Stallone, Krull, the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only and The Pink Panther starring David Niven and Peter Sellers.
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 though the 1941 Nordic championships were withdrawn by the FIS in 1946. The region lost the bid for the 1988 Winter Olympics to Calgary, Canada.
Cortina was home of Olympic bobsledder Eugenio Monti who was the first winner of the de Coubertin medal for fair play.
Audrey Hepburn was a frequent visitor to the slopes of Cortina.
Close to Cortina d'Ampezzo is San Vito di Cadore.
[edit] Politics
According to BBC News, the town voted in October 2007 to secede from the region of Veneto and join the neighboring region, Trentino-Alto Adige.[1] Cited motivations include cultural ties with the small Ladin-speaking community in Trentino and a desire for lower taxes.
[edit] External links
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