The Olympic Games are bringing innovation and modernization to Cortina. In view of this global event, extensive works have involved the area’s infrastructures: a complex process of renewal that began with the 2021 World Championships and has since impacted roads, lift systems, and ski runs.
All the Latest Developments Ahead of the Olympics
Among the most significant projects accompanying Cortina d’Ampezzo towards the 2026 Winter Olympics stands out the new Apollonio-Socrepes gondola (developed by SIMICO Società Infrastrutture Milano Cortina 2020-2026 S.p.A). This facility is designed not only to meet the logistic needs of the Olympic event, but also to structurally enhance the tourist offer in the Ampezzo valley.
The project is conceived with a dual purpose: to guarantee fast and accessible connections between the town centre and the Tofane ski area, and to promote sustainable and integrated mobility that will benefit the territory in the long term. In fact, this lift will significantly enhance the “all season” experience making it easier to reach the Dolomites and their panoramic viewpoints, reducing the use of private cars - and consequently queues and traffic - and optimizing the tourist flow distribution on both sides of the valley both in winter and in summer. A few technical details: a monocable gondola lift with automatic coupling and hourly capacity of around 1,800 people, 10-passenger cabins; two main stations: Apollonio (valley) and Socrepes (mountain); direct connection to car parks and the Tofane ski area facilities; green energy power supply; and mitigation interventions to reduce environmental impact.
For the mountain of the future - more accessible, safer, and greener - a transformation already underway since 2020 thanks to the lift-company of the Consorzio Cortina Skiworld and the Municipality of Cortina.
The overall investments enhancing Cortina as an alpine strategic hub did not start in recent months. The process began in 2020 with the gondola replacing the first section of the Freccia nel Cielo cablecar - the Cortina Col Druscié line - tripling its hourly capacity and adding an intermediate station at Colfiere. This was followed by the Cortina Skyline gondola, officially opened at Christmas 2021. The lift connects Son dei Prade to 5 Torri, thus eventually integrating the Ampezzo area into the iconic ski circuits of Sellaronda, Super8 Ski Tour, and the Great War Tour. A strategic connection promoting sustainable mobility by reducing the use of private cars.
A further key addition is the Bus Tofana - Ra Valles four-seater chairlift with automatic coupling, renewed in the same year to make a spectacular section of the area - the one between 2,200 and 2,700 m , near Cima Tofana - more accessible
Regarding the new ski runs created for the 2021 alpine ski races, special mention goes to the Lino Lacedelli piste in the 5 Torri ski area. This is the first ever public ski run in Italy designed specifically for racing training and therefore equipped with the highest safety standards, advanced snowmaking systems, and inspired by the legendary, historical run of the 1956 Olympics.
Far from the Hype.
Even in an olympic winter, Cortina Skiworld offers the opportunity to escape the Games’ excitement and clamour and explore the Faloria-Cristallo ski area, the fairy-tale landscapes of Misurina, the welcoming slopes of San Vito, and the family-friendly Auronzo. Auronzo, for example, features several outings suitable for children. From Col de Varda, with stunning views of Lake Misurina, a gentle trail leads to Malga Maraja. Visitors may also take the chairlift to Mt Agudo and enjoy the spectacular views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, along gentle trails, ibex spotting, and charming guesthouses. The itinerary is suitable for families who love hiking. At high altitude, stopping at guesthouses and mountain huts for lunch or a snack becomes a moment of pleasant relaxation for the whole family.
In Cortina and its surroundings, visitors can combine skiing, hiking in the pristine wilderness, social life, and the thrill of Olympic competitions.
New High-Altitude Hospitality and Entertainment
The Super G Faloria Mountain Club is Going to Open
Innovations do not concern only ski runs, high-altitude hospitality is evolving as well. Cortina, already well known for its fine food and wine offer, is embracing the momentum of renewal and the positive Olympic atmosphere with new investments in various sectors.
Following its success in Courmayeur, Cervinia, and Madonna di Campiglio, the brand Super G is a leading name in the aprés-ski world. It is now ready to arrive in Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the Faloria ski-area, becoming a pioneer of high-altitude night life in the Queen of the Dolomites. It is not just a guesthouse, but an experiential venue where fine food and wine experiences meet music and contemporary design. A mile-high club house where every detail - from the panoramic terrace to live DJ sets, to the gourmet dishes of the Meraviglioso restaurant - is designed to offer authentic emotions and spontaneous sharing.
Super G appeals to an international, dynamic, cross-generational community from Gen Z to urban travellers, from skiers returning from ski runs to curious lovers of the mountain lifestyle. Cortina thus welcomes a new iconic destination, blending alpine spirit with contemporary glamour.
The Franz Kraler Chalet Opens at Socrepes
Chalet Franz Kraler Club Moritzino is the ambitious new project of the Kraler family, renowned for their high-end multibrand boutiques which have become an essential part of Cortina’s stylish atmosphere. The chosen location is Socrepes, at the foot of the Tofane group, the core of the Olympic ski area. Designed by blueArch studio, the project aims at redefining high-altitude hospitality standards by fusing design, nature, and cultural vision. The chalet will extend over three levels with large windows overlooking the Olympic ski runs.
In concert with the Craffonara family, founders of the legendary Club Moritzino - a symbol of luxury entertainment at 2,100 metres of altitude - the chalet is conceived as an open, versatile, and cultural space, ready to host site-specific installations, collaborations with fashion and design brands, artistic projects, and immersive experiences. The cuisine will be entrusted to the chefs of Club Moritzino offering a selection of menus that blend South Tyrolean roots and Mediterranean inspiration in a never ending dialogue between land and sea.
A Programme of Cultural, Artistic, and Lifestyle Events.
The path leading to Milano -Cortina 2026 also involves culture with the Cultural Olympics of Milano Cortina 2026. The programme features Cortina di Stelle, an exhibition by artist Fulvio Morella, curated by Sabino Maria Frassà and promoted by Cramum and Lagazuoi Spa, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Cortina and the FISIP (Italian Federation of Paralympic Winter Sports) and under the patronage of the Italian Paralympic Committee and INJA Louis Braille in Paris.
Inclusion, sports, and light as a means of universal connection are the key themes of the exhibition that will be hosted in two symbolic venues: the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti, a museum at 2,732 metres, and the Council Room in Cortina Town Hall. The exhibition, officially opened on December 22nd, 2025 will be on until March 31st, 2026, accompanying visitors throughout the whole period of the Games.
The core of the exhibition is the Braille Stellato, an original poetic alphabet which turns the Braille alphabet into tactile constellations: celestial maps to be read with the fingertips.
Braillight, luminous sculptures using light as a means of inclusion and sensorial dialogue, open the artistic journey.
The artistic project also includes the itinerant installation, Una Panchina Ispirata al Paesaggio, (“A Bench Inspired by the Landscape”) by South Tyrolean artist Jürgen Niederfriniger. The artist is known for his works combining tradition, innovation, and respect for the environment.
The bench will be placed in the most iconic spots of Cortina ski area: much more than a mere urban furniture, it is a minimalist object designed to blend into nature, inviting visitors to sit, admire the landscape, and take unique photographs.
Art plays an important role during the Olympic events. In the centre of Cortina, in Piazza Roma - overlooking the Olympic ski-runs of the Tofane area, the famous olympic and paralympic symbols, Spectaculars and Agitos, are already on display.
High-altitude locations involved in the Games – Col Druscié, Col Tondo, and 5 Torri – will also host some artistic installations, veritable works that can be used by the public , thus offering fantastic “photo opportunities”.
Cortina and Cinema.
Since the Sixties the Ampezzo Valley has appeared in many films: from The Pink Panther to A Place for Lovers, from 007 – For your Eyes Only to Vacanze di Natale, from Cliffhanger to Han Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The Olympic Games are not only about sports, but will contribute to promoting the history and the culture of the region - a legacy designed to last well beyond Milano-Cortina 2026, created with the support of the Municipality of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Veneto District, and institutional and private partners (Audi Italia, Cortinabanca, La Cooperativa di Cortina, Regole d’Ampezzo, Elleboro Editore).
Accadde a Cortina (“It Happened in Cortina”) is a literary and tourist itinerary created by Una Montagna di Libri: a true open-air museum of Dolomite literature, consisting of 18 corten-steel (highly resistant) panels displayed in the town centre, along forests paths, and across the Ampezzo mountains.
The words of authors of the likes of Buzzati, Montale, Hemingway, Bellow, Parise, Forster, Rigoni Stern and many others come alive once more in the places that inspired them - from Corso Italia to Lake Sorapis, from the Tofane to Croda da Lago.
At each stop, the panel features a QR code linking to a bilingual digital platform (Italian/English, with a Ladin section), enriched with multimedia content and audiobooks thanks to the cooperation with Emons - a true “audiobook of the Dolomites”.
