Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern (Dolomitic) Alps and the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene.

After the scheduled 1944 Olympics had been canceled because of WWII, it hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics as well as various world cup events and motion pictures. Much of 1963 classic The Pink Panther, the progenitor of the series, was filmed in Cortina. One of the memorable James Bond stunt sequences in 1981's For Your Eyes Only, gunners on spike-wheeled motorcycles chasing Roger Moore on skis, was filmed on its slopes, as were several scenes in the film Cliffhanger.

Cortina is situated at the top of the Valle del Boite in the Dolomites, and is positioned between Cadore (to the south) and the Val Pusteria (to north), Val d' Ansiei (to east) and Agordo (to the west). It is encircled 360° by the Dolomites. Among the more famous mountains are Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, Faloria and Sorapiss to the east, and Becco di Mezzodì, Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to south.

The city center is located at an alitude of 1,224 m, although the highest summit is that of the Tofana di Mezzo, which towers at 3,244 m. There is a significant water presence in the territory, in the form of torrents, streams and little lakes (Ghedina, Pianozes, d'Ajal...), which fill particularly during the summer snow-melt season. Fauna include marmots, roe deers, chamoises and hares.