Corso Italia & the Historic Centre
The Corso Italia is the beating heart of Cortina d'Ampezzo — a car-free promenade lined with Belle Époque hotels, independent boutiques, gelaterie and the striking 18th-century campanile of the Basilica dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo. Walking it at the passeggiata hour, as the mountains turn pink in the alpenglow, is one of those simple travel pleasures that costs nothing and lingers long in the memo
Architecture and Landmarks
The 68-metre campanile of the Basilica dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo, built between 1753 and 1775, is the defining landmark of the Corso and worth stepping inside to see the carved wooden altarpieces — a tradition of Ampezzano woodcarving that has been practised here for centuries.
A short walk from the Corso, the Museo Civico di Cortina (also known as the Museo delle Regole) houses an impressive collection of Titian-school paintings alongside natural history displays and a section dedicated to the Regole d'Ampezzo, the ancient communal land-ownership system that still governs the valley's forests today.
Shopping and Gelato
The Corso is lined with a mix of high-end ski-wear brands and genuinely local shops — seek out the historic Cooperativa di Cortina, a cooperative store selling local cheeses, cured meats, wines and pantry goods that makes for excellent picnic or gift shopping.
For gelato, La Crema on the Corso is consistently recommended by locals for its seasonal flavours that incorporate mountain ingredients like pine resin, bilberry and local honey rather than the generic fruit syrups found elsewhere.
The Evening Passeggiata
Between 6 and 8 p.m. in summer and during ski season, the Corso fills with the slow, sociable back-and-forth stroll that Italians have elevated to an art form — families, couples and groups of friends dressed in a studied blend of technical ski wear and cashmere make the people-watching as entertaining as any museum.
Pull up a seat at one of the Corso-facing bar terraces, order a Campari spritz and watch the Pomagagnon and Tofana peaks catch the last of the day's light — this is Cortina at its most effortlessly glamorous.
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