Cortina is a town focused on outdoor sports and tourism. It’s a town that has always thought big, despite its small size and remote location. In 1956, it became the site of the Winter Olympics, so designated after its award of the 1944 Olympics was canceled by WWII. Because of rugged roads and winter weather in the Dolomites, the only way for Olympic visitors to arrive in Cortina was by a single train, operated continuously to deliver 13,000 visitors a day. 1956 turned out to be a warm winter in Cortina with a shortage of snow on the slopes and no snow-making machines–they didn’t exist yet–, creating a crisis as the opening ceremony approached. The problem was solved, reportedly, by local volunteers and members of the Italian army carrying snow down on their backs from the higher elevations surrounding the city.

Cortinans are obviously an enterprising and plucky people, which might explain why most of the first Pink Panther movie was shot here. They’ve also not been historically Italian, having fought with the Austrians against Italy in WWI. It was only after the Austrian loss of the war that they acceded to becoming Italians.

Cortina’s buildings lean toward Bavarian design, and the town clearly favors its mountain heritage above all. Many climbing and hiking outfitters operate from Cortina and mountain bikes are a common site. Its road cycling history is more recent, bolstered by the Giro adding Dolomitic mountains to its itinerary in 1937.