IT was the fur coats that did it.
Walking through Cortina d’Ampezzo on a winter’s day, there were as many full-length minks as CP Company puffy coats – yes, even sometimes on the men. Nowhere but in Italy has PETA’s pleading gone so utterly unheeded.
PHOTOS: SKIING IN CORTINA, ITALY
Such a glut of pelts underscored the retro glamour for which this town’s renowned, a “Dolce Vita”-era mystique propped up equally by the designer boutiques – Gucci, Malo, Bulgari – dotted along the main drag and the fact that, even in high season, there’s still not a store that stays open during siesta time.
Squirreled away high in the Dolomites, north of Venice, Cortina d’Ampezzo a Bond-esque (Connery era) picture postcard of folksy chalets and winding streets, punctuated with groovy, mod additions, nods to its fifteen minutes of fame, aka when the winter Olympics descended in 1956.
The only other evidence: a superb winter-sports infrastructure that’s been maintained since the athletes decamped all those years ago. There’s a reason Cortina snagged the Olympics – the slopes here, spread across an eastern and western mountain range, are some of Italy’s best.
It’s surprising, then, that prices are more Jersey Shore than St. Moritz. In season, three-star hotels hover around $100 while an espresso on the terrace of the storied De La Poste hotel is around $2 (stunning valley views are free). Even the aprés-ski isn’t over the top: The early evening hub is Da Gerry on the Via del Mercato, a cramped enoteca full of regulars who greet one another in rapid-fire Italian. Their chatter bubbles noisily over the clatter of fresh-washed plates and clink of just-cleaned glasses.
The wine menu’s scrawled on the mirror behind the bar: A glass of local prosecco is around $4, and most other wines no more than $5.50; tramezzini, sandwich-like morsels, cost only $2.35.
The priciest things in the place? Those fur coats, of course, laid artfully over the rickety stools.
LOWDOWN
GO: Fly into the gleaming Venice Marco Polo airport, rent a car from one of the in-terminal desks then take the 2-3 hour drive (depending on your nerves on those hairpin mountain roads) up to Cortina d’Ampezzo.
STAY: One of the places in town is the historic and central De La Poste, with 73 rooms (from $250 with breakfast, http://www.delaposte.it). Location’s crucial in Cortina for access to the gondolas; one of the most ultra-central options is quite affordable: The three-star Villa Neve offers throwbackish ’70s décor, lavish buffet breakfast and that only-in-Italy hotel smell combo-ing Pledge, vanilla and brioche (doubles from $110, http://www.hotelvillaneve.it.) For total on-the-cheapness, the B&B-ish Villa Nevada (7 nights min from $375 per person, villanevada.cortina@dolomiti.org.) might be just the thing. There’s a ski bus stop right outside.
DO: There’s a strategy to hitting the two peaks here: Hop up to Tofana in the morning, then follow the sun to Faloria in the afternoon. Even in peak season, there are so many runs here that it’s rarely congested. Faloria is the smaller setup, its pint-sized gondolas leaving from behind the ski-pass office. The clomp of ski boots and the clatter of knives and forks in the café jostle for dominance. Tofana is more impressive, with a two-stage cable car that takes 15 minutes to trundle to the peak. There are some terrific black runs, and for non-sporty types a restaurant with rentable deckchairs on its terrace that offer swoony views. Grab the gondola from just outside the skating rink – itself a steal, costing just $1.40, with skate hire an extra $12.50. Remember to bring passport photos for a ski pass, which also provides free access to the shuttle bus. Prices start at $48.50 for one day – check http://www.dolomitisuperski.com for more info.
DRINK: Cocktail hour’s the time to socialize here, in bars or in homey enoteche like Da Gerry. Another option is Brio di Vino (Largo Poste 17) with its wooden tables built into the wall and doily-covered lights – glug some prosecco to wash down delicious tramezzini-like anchovies with a slab of butter or soft cheese with oily sun-dried tomato. Opposite across the square, LP26 (Largo Poste 26) is the trendiest joint and skews the youngest, its popped-collared bartenders juicing up fresh cocktails in a mod building, its exterior covered in a Barbara Hepworthish mural. There’s live music later in the evening, usually acoustic Carla Bruni-meets-Alanis Morissette folk sung in somewhat strangled English. Eat at pizzeria Al Passeto (Via Marconi 8) with crispy pizzas and gut-filling pastas like a meaty, sweet wild-boar ragu for around 10 – there’s even (surprisingly drinkable) wine on tap.
INFO: You can tell you’re near Germany – the tourist office here is outstanding efficient in comparison with most Italian set-ups. Pick up copious bilingual leaflets and information at Piazzetta San Francisco 8 (www.infodolomiti.it)