23 - A white, blue - Cortina d'Ampezzo 2003/2004 - Cortina d'Ampezzo
WHITE azure 
Cortina winter sunlight, a poem is created by two colors. The white and blue have to define it as in a painting, sketch, because it is covered by snow, but guess and dazzling. It may be a mirage mountain, what is called Pearl and Queen of the Dolomites. A sky like this, with magnificent wide limits Tofane of Pomagagnon and crystal blue so you do not see from other parties in the province of Belluno. And before dawn, when the darkness is still to be there, here is a foretaste rose from the southeast, a pink aurora borealis effect, pointing like a beacon on the tops of Tofane. Strange atmosphere, really. The light in the early hours of the morning, began to spread. Between seven and eight Cortina starts the day, who goes to work, chi a scuola, chi parte con gli sci verso le piste. Aprono i bar, poi i negozi ed è il passeggio, il giro per gli acquisti, l’incontro in Corso Italia dove sventolano, nelle più importanti e ufficiali occasioni, i gonfaloni con i colori di Cortina: il bianco e l’azzurro.
CORTINA DA VIVERE
A giornate di sovraffollamento, con traffico impossibile fino ai primi giorni di gennaio, seguono ritmi più tranquilli, silenzi più vicini allo spirito della montagna, più consoni alla località di villeggiatura per eccellenza delle Dolomiti. Il flusso turistico non si ferma, a Cortina, even when it exceeds the first half of the month. Events like the World Cup Skiing Women occupy not only the places of the races, the Pista Olimpia and Print Center in the school gym. They fill the hotels, with athletes, coaches and three hundred journalists. Attract spectators and curiosity that leads to walk in the center of the business.
skiers, among the guests of Cortina is one out of five. Thus, the reward for a tourist, you stay in Cortina. Being in Cortina, Holidaymaker in one of the most famous of the world, then, is the spring that leads to the sell-out. And so, with lots of shops and venues, numerous cultural events, exhibitions, shows both in galleries that specialize in hotels. The pleasure of staying is to find, given the environment, quiet and well-being at any time of year.
The Cortina "super" between Christmas and Epiphany, nominated by any daily news, always mentioned in the press, calling out the moves that commuting by car, with negative consequences arise traffic unbearable and unacceptable pollution . Ferruccio Tormen, dealer, indicating undesirable effects on purchases: "There is a large influx of people, looks like a circle of hell, Dante, who has created major traffic problems. Cortina no benefits from it. It is not good for the shops and hotels. Our aim is that people on holiday is peaceful, but is nervous, bad. Even professionals get nervous ...". The bus station is one of the focal points of Cortina. Means to arrive and depart Dolomitibus Calalzo and Belluno. ATVO Dolomitibus supports multiple weekly runs, which are becoming daily in peak periods or tourism, the coincidences of the Eurostar train station in Venice-Mestre arriving and departing Rome and Milan. ATVO, again, making the Padua-Venice Airport Marco Polo Cortina on weekends and daily in high season. Weekly, from Milan, is the company responsible for motorway links to Cortina. In front of the shelter of the station, where you play all these comings and goings, there is the lift pass office.
EXPERIENCES OF TRAFFIC
Our tours of inquiry in January 2004, aimed at Cortina in four stages: Saturday 3, Saturday 10 Wednesday 14 and Friday 16. In the first two days we have experienced public transport, in the past we used the car. The starting point is the railway station Sedico-Bribano. Sabato 3, partendo alle 8.54 siamo a Belluno alle 9.06; a Ponte Nelle Alpi dobbiamo cambiare treno, il che fa perdere un po’ di tempo, ma si resta poi gratificati da una strada ferrata che corre, dopo Longarone, tra la neve e un paesaggio splendido sul Piave fin oltre la stazione di Perarolo. Il viaggio, spesso in galleria la più lunga delle quali è la Monte Zucco di 2.139 metri, si conclude a Calalzo alle 10.30. I passeggeri Trenitalia, numerosi, trovano le coincidenze Dolomitibus per Cortina, Auronzo, Comelico. Il nostro pullman per Cortina si riempie e, da lì a poco più di un’ora, dovremmo giungere a destinazione. 
Ma il 3 January still falls in the period of chaos automobile. Code can be found at the junction of Tai. In slow motion we pass through the Valley, Venas to find us still in the queue in San Vito. And to continue the entry of Cortina. The only thing that runs is the time. We should be in Cortina at 11.40. We go down by half Dolomitibus at 12.45. The driver was burned to the break and heard during the trip, we heard the ominous burden of his day's work: first race of the morning at 6 and 25, last at 8:40 p.m.; mean eight hours and a half guide a total of fourteen and a half commitment. For the return, given the lesson of the progress, we decide on the departure of 15.05 which allows Dolomitibus una permanenza a Cortina di due ore. Da Calalzo il treno per Belluno-Feltre-Padova parte alle 16.19. Ma il pullman arriva in ritardo e lo perdiamo, dovendo attendere così quello delle 17.17. Abbiamo impiegato dieci ore della nostra giornata per restare a Cortina due ore. Consolazione: in auto sarebbe stato peggio perché alle code si sarebbe aggiunta la ricerca del parcheggio. Siamo a sabato 10 gennaio. Stessi orari dei mezzi pubblici, per una nostra scelta di confronto, e nessun intoppo; a Cortina riusciamo a starci un’ora in più. Torniamo a casa con un’ora di anticipo rispetto al 3 gennaio. Il giorno prima , venerdì 9, the joke was that the station Calalzo the train took off alone toward Longarone and stopping, always alone, in the ascent of Castellavazzo. Drivers should leave the driving without brakes, were at the bar for drinks. Trenitalia and undeserved bad publicity for the train that remains in the medium and long routes, the fastest, quiet and safe. Too bad, you think, that Calalzo there is an extension of up to Cortina Dobbiaco, useful to unite with Austria on the one hand, and the other at the Brenner.
drive tests, 14 and 16 January, did not account for problems because the traffic was gone. Against by public transport travel times are lower, about half an hour, although there the issue of parking in Cortina. The journey of 16 we dealt with at night, just before the departure of the truck, between the 3.00 and 4.30. In Cadore valley we passed a car, one at San Vito and, in Cortina, a taxi. The parking lots were empty.
CORTINA INFORMING
The curiosity that we want to solve contacting the Provincial Tourism Office desk in the center of Cortina next to the eighteenth-century church dedicated to St. Philip and St. James, is what Calls for more tourists. The worker, kind, we are content listed five points:
1 - rooms available at the hotel;
2 - bus timetables;
3 - bulletins and weather conditions;
4 - Events cultural, folklore, entertainment,
5 - conditions of the ski slopes. Resolved curiosity understand that the tourist is already largely informed today because we can entrust to the websites. How to get to Cortina (cars and public transport). Map of the city with parking and service area map, sports facilities and resorts, hotels and business directory, restaurants, bars. References and public associations. Calendar of events, history, nature, various localities, Natural Park Dolomiti d'Ampezzo. With the web cam we can see, in real time or every hour, what happens in Italy Corso, on the slopes, in the Ampezzo valley and mountain peaks. In short, the immediate and main information service through the Internet. With search engine Virgil + curtain on the common voice we have seen results in 19,928 sites. Official information can be found in www.cortina.dolomiti.org , www.cortinanet.it , www.cortina.dolomiti.com . If the world by sitting at home, you can learn all about the information Cortina arrived in the city continues. Radio Cortina and TeleCortina. Various periodicals and, in times of increased flow, a daily paper "The news of Cortina" distributed free. Milan-based company produces glossy magazines, including those distributed free at newsstands, shops, bars, restaurants and hotels. Three titles: "Dear Cortina "," Art in Cortina "and" Cortina Magazine.
