“On September 12th, our incredible hiking adventure will come to an end, and we’ll return to Bolzano in the afternoon. Most flights will depart on Sept 15th in the morning. We will leave our hotel in the Dolomites at 12:00 noon.

We plan to be back in Bolzano by 1:30 pm, giving you plenty of time to relax, explore the town, or shop for souvenirs before continuing your journey. We will make sure we are back in time to catch trains.

Cortina
Cortina’s full name is Cortina d’Ampezzo (the Curtain of the Ampezzo valley) and is best known as one of the top ski destinations in Italy.  It is a town of approx. 7,000 full time residents at an elevation of around 4,000’.  The town sits in an incredible location surrounded by high peaks, the highest of which is Mount Tofane at 10,624’

Getting There

Car Service
The closest major airport is Venice, which is approx. 2 hours by car from Venice’s Marco Polo International airport.  Car service is approx. 360 euro.  

By Large Bus
You can also get to Cortina by comfortable large bus service.  There are two option.  The first is ATVO that leaves from Marco Polo Airport and the other is the Cortina Express that leaves from Mestre train station in Venice.

ATVO
ATVO offers bus service from the airport to Cortina.  The trip is approx. 2:20 from the Venice airport and costs around 15 euro, however, the company has not yet published its schedule for September so check back in or look to the Cortina Express if you’ll be in Venice.   https://www.atvo.it/en-venezia-cortina.html

To get to the ATVO bus from the airport exit on the right from the main arrivals hall, go straight to the big parking lot and ATVO bus station.  From there go to the right along the covered walkway, following directions to P BUS (Tour Bus Parking), just 150-meter walk. When you arrive at the P Bus you will see different bus departure stops: please look for the atvo/fap bus departure stop, nr. 70

Cortina Express
Leaves from the Mestre train station in Venice for the 2:30 trip to Cortina.  The bus departs at 7:00, 11:00, 2:00 and 5:00 on September 6th and costs 25 euro.  We recommend a bus earlier than the 5:00 so you can enjoy the scenery on the way up.  https://www.cortinaexpress.it/en/

Hotels
There are many hotel options in Cortina of varying level of luxe and price.  Of course hotels.com or another online service can find hotels in Cortina for you.  The hotels closest to the station where the bus lets you off are:

• Hotel Ambra Cortina
• Hotel de Len
• Hotel Regina
• Hotel Franceschi Park
• Hotel Aquila

And if you are looking for luxury there are also number of the 5 star options in the area including:

• Rosapetra Spa Hotel Located approx. 2 miles from the city center
• Grand Hotel Savoia
• Faloria Spa Resort Locate approx. 2 miles from the city center
• Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel located 1.5 km from the city center.  In addition to being one of the more storied hotels, the Miramonti also gained fame for its use in the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only (1981) with Roger Moore.  

Dining
As provided below, Cortina and the areas we’ll be visiting of Corvara and Selva were part of Austria for much of their history.  As such, the cuisine is Tyrolean and not the stereotypical pasta and pizza that most think about for Italy.  Given the area’s location in the mountains the staples for the area include polenta, potatoes (gnocchi), meats, excellent cow cheeses and butter over olive oil.  

Perhaps the most local dish for Cortina is casuziei, a moon-shaped ravioli with beets.  Yes, it is local, but don’t feel inclined to partake unless you’re a beet fan given the many other excellent choices on the menu.

Given the resort nature of the town there are many excellent restaurants.  Some of the better reviewed restaurants include:

1. Ristorante Tivoli  $$$
2. Ristorante Al Camin  $$$
3. Ristorante El Camineto  $$$
4. Barta Pie Tofana  $$$
5. Il Vizetto do Cortina  $$
6. Ristorante Ariston  $$

Some of these restaurants are in the surrounding hills and will require car service to get there and back.

History and Culture

While Cortina was pickleballed back and forth for centuries, for much of its history Cortina was part of Austria, or rather the Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as the Habsburg Empire.  Cortina was annexed by Italy at the end of World War I, which also saw the collapse of the Habsburg Empire.

With historical ties to Austria the town feels much like many resort areas throughout the Dolomites with many signs in Italian, German and Ladin.  Ladin is the local language and is spoken in much of the Dolomites, however, getting an accurate count of the number of Ladin speakers is a challenge.

Cortina was scheduled to host the 1944 Winter Olympics which was rescheduled for obvious reasons, but it did host the Winter Olympics in 1956 and will be co-hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan.  The high profile alpine skiing events will take place out of Cortina as well as the biathlon and the all-important curling events.  Movies shot in Cortina include The Pink Panther, For Your Eyes Only and Cliffhanger.

Shopping in Cortina has something for everyone.  As imagined, there are many outdoors shops but also, as a resort town, there are many fashion forward boutiques as well as a multistoried department store, La Cooperativa di Cortina, with everything from pet supplies, to outdoor wear, to a local food delicacies, to clothing and shoes.  If you have time, it’s worth a bit of a wander.  

The main shopping street in town is the Corso Italia, located in the center of town.  You can’t miss it.

Payment Policy

To secure your spot on a retreat, a non-refundable deposit is required:

• $500 for domestic retreats
• $1,000 for international retreats

Single room reservations may require an additional $200 deposit. Reservations cannot be held without a deposit.

Full payment is due 90 days prior to the retreat. If payment is not received by this deadline, you may lose your reservation. For bookings made within 90 days of the retreat, payment in full is required at the time of registration.

Payment Options:

• Avoid fees by paying via check or Zelle.  
• Payments via PayPal or Stripe incur a 4% processing fee.  

Cancellation Policy

• 91+ days before the retreat: Refund of payments (minus your deposit).

• 90 or fewer days before the retreat: Payments are non-refundable.

Women’s Quest reserves the right to cancel retreats with insufficient participant interest. In such cases, all payments will be refunded; however, Women’s Quest is not responsible for personal expenses, such as airline tickets, due to schedule changes or cancellations.

Travel Insurance

We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment in case unforeseen circumstances prevent you from attending or completing the retreat.

Travel insurance is particularly important in the event you:

• Need to cancel due to illness or injury (including testing positive for COVID-19).
• Require medical care during the retreat.
• Face trip interruptions, delays, or unexpected quarantine requirements.

We suggest a policy that covers:

• Trip cancellation and interruption
• Medical expenses
• Quarantine costs

For maximum flexibility, consider a “Cancel For Any Reason” (CFAR) policy, which provides additional peace of mind. While this type of coverage is more expensive, it offers the most protection for unforeseen changes.

To compare and purchase travel insurance, we recommend using Squaremouth, a trusted platform to find the best policy for your needs.https://www.squaremouth.com/22393

Before purchasing any policy, consult a travel insurance agent to ensure it meets your coverage expectations.