Cortina d'Ampezzo in winter: walks in the snow and itineraries in the Dolomites
2 minutes
When the snow envelops the Ampezzo Dolomites, the landscape changes its rhythm. The trails grow quieter, the forests slow their pace, and the villages seem to breathe more gently. It is winter in Cortina d'Ampezzo, a season that offers skiing and social life, but also mindful walking, unspoilt nature, and sustainable tourism, to be experienced along routes that wind through valleys, pastures, and historic villages.
Listening to the mountains: winter walking around Cortina d'Ampezzo
Walking in winter means choosing a different approach to the mountains. In the surroundings of Cortina d'Ampezzo, sections of the Sentiero Italia CAI (the Italian Alpine Club's long-distance trail) and the dense network of local paths become ideal routes for snowshoeing, slow-paced excursions, and winter hiking, accessible even to those who are not experienced mountaineers.
Here, walking becomes an act of listening to the land: the muffled sound of footsteps on the snow, the silhouette of the Tofane standing out against a clear sky, and the traces left by animals in the forests of Val di Fanes or Val Travenanzes. An immersive experience that reduces environmental impact and enhances the mountain's authentic character.
The Sentiero Italia CAI, which runs across the Alpine arc, also passes through the Ampezzo area, offering opportunities for discovery that extend beyond the landscape itself. In winter, selected sections become prime routes for exploring Ladin culture, still alive in place names, rural architecture and traditions passed down.
Walking in the vicinity of Cortina d'Ampezzo means getting in touch with a landscape that has been able to protect its identity, including through the way tourism is managed. Mountain huts open year-round, low-impact facilities, soft mobility, and local services make the experience sustainable and environmentally respectful.
Slow winter: when snow becomes an ally of responsible tourism
Around Cortina, the small hamlets and historic villages tell the story of a mountain that is inhabited, lived in, never artificial. Locations such as Campo, Zuel or Chiave are ideal starting points for winter excursions that combine experiences of nature and local communities.
Here, sustainable tourism also takes shape through diffuse hospitality, small family-run establishments, and seasonal cuisine that showcases local produce. After a day in the snow, the journey continues at the table, with hot dishes, authentic flavours and mountain tales.
Choosing to walk in the snow around Cortina means contributing to a more balanced model of tourism. Winter thus becomes the ideal season to redistribute visitor flows, support local economies and experience the mountains more mindfully.
The Ampezzo Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thus offer a natural laboratory for slow and sustainable tourism, where winter walking becomes an instrument of knowledge, respect and wonder.
Cortina d'Ampezzo is not just an iconic destination; it is a landscape to be crossed with a light step, especially in winter. Amid snow-covered paths, silent forests and villages steeped in ancient stories, the journey becomes powerful: choosing to slow down, respecting the mountain, rediscovering the meaning of travel.
