“On September 13th, 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

A deposit is required to hold your reservation at a retreat. Deposits are $500 for domestic and $1,000 for international retreats. Additional deposits may be required to reserve a single room. All deposits are non-refundable.

We cannot hold your reservation until we have received your deposit. If you would like to reserve an available spot in a retreat 90 or fewer days prior to the retreat date, we require payment in full for the retreat to hold the spot. This is in accordance with our payment policy below.

Payment in full for all retreats is due 90 days prior to the retreat date. If you do not provide payment in full by 90 days prior to the retreat you risk losing your reservation.

A 4% payment processing fee will be added to all payments made using PayPal, Stripe or Venmo.

You are welcome to send in a check or pay by Zelle to avoid this fee.

Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel a reservation, a full refund, less your deposit which is non-refundable, will be provided for any cancellation we receive in writing at least 91 days prior to the commencement date of the retreat. We are sorry but we cannot refund any payments for cancellations made 90 or fewer days prior to the commencement of the retreat.

We reserve the right to cancel retreats with inadequate participant interest. Women’s Quest IS NOT responsible for any personal expenses, such as airline tickets due to changes in schedules or tour cancellations.

Covid-19 Policy

Cancellations by Women’s Quest: Women’s Quest reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel or reschedule any retreat due to concerns over Covid-19. As a small company Women’s Quest is unfortunately not able to provide refunds of payments for retreats cancelled by Women’s Quest due to the Covid pandemic. This is primarily due to our financial commitments with the various retreat venues. As a result, in the event Women’s Quest cancels or reschedules a retreat due to Covid-19 Women’s Quest will apply all payments to the rescheduled or following year’s retreat, or to any other Women’s Quest retreat of your choosing through the end of the next year after the year in which the retreat was cancelled by Women’s Quest.  Because of the unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances of the outbreak, this policy supersedes earlier policies.

Cancellations by You: If you need or desire to cancel your reservation due to Covid-19, or failure to comply with the requirements of a negative test and being symptom free, this cancellation is subject to the Cancellation Policy above.  This is why we urge everyone to purchase travel insurance when signing up.

Covid Waiver and Release
This waiver, release and acknowledgement of responsibilities is unfortunately necessary during this unique time of the Covid 19 pandemic. By signing up for and or attending any Women’s Quest retreat you agree to be bound by the terms of this document. We understand these times are challenging, however, these provisions are necessary to protect all attendees and staff members of Women’s Quest.

Testing For and Symptoms of Covid 19.  Irrespective of vaccination status you are required to provide a negative test for Covid 19 taken within 3 days of the commencement of the retreat. This test can be either a PCR test or a home antigen test. Also, irrespective of your vaccination status, you agree you will not attend the retreat if you have any symptoms of Covid 19 immediately prior to the beginning of the trip. These symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea (these, along with symptoms outline in the following link and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control shall be collectively referred to as the “Symptoms”.) More information on symptoms of Covid 19 can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Symptoms During the Retreat. In the event you develop any Symptoms during the retreat you must immediately leave the retreat and follow protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and all local regulations. We understand this may result in you incurring significant expenses associated with separate accommodation and travel, however, you understand these expenses are not the responsibility of Women’s Quest and must be incurred by you. You agree to be fully honest with Women’s Quest staff in regard to any Symptoms you may develop and agree to comply with a request by Women’s Quest staff to depart as determined by Women’s Quest staff in their sole discretion. As provided below, this is why we strongly urge everyone to get travel insurance covering these and other expenses prior to departure.

Procedures During the Retreat. During the retreat Women’s Quest may, but need not, endeavor to practice social distancing and wearing of masks when traveling in close proximity. You agree to comply with all requests of Women’s Quest staff during the retreat related to these procedures. Any such procedures implemented by Women’s Quest are not a guaranty you will not be exposed to Covid 19 and you understand you are responsible for taking any precautions you deem necessary and providing your own personal protective equipment during the retreat. You also agree to comply with any reasonable requests by other attendees to respect their social distancing and other protective measures (“Participant Requests”.) Notwithstanding the foregoing, you are responsible to comply with all laws and regulations of the locality visited relating to protections against Covid 19.

Waiver of Coronavirus Related Illness; Indemnification. You understand that irrespective of protective measures that Women’s Quest or you may or may not take, you may be exposed to Covid 19 by another retreat attendee, a Women’s Quest staff member and or an individual to whom you may be exposed during, or traveling to or from the retreat. You agree to waive and release Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any claims, liabilities or damages you may incur in the event you contract Covid 19 at any time during travel to, attending or after attending the retreat. You further agree to indemnify and hold harmless Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any loss, liability or damages it or they may incur as a result of your failure to receive a negative test for Covid 19 prior to the retreat as provided above, attending the retreat with any Symptoms, not respecting Participant Requests, and not immediately departing the retreat if you develop any Symptoms.

Cancellation. In the unfortunate event you need to cancel your trip, cannot attend due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms prior to the retreat, or must leave the retreat due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms, Women’s Quest cannot provide any refund of any amounts you paid.

Travel Insurance. As provided in this document you could incur significant personal expense in the event you contract Covid 19 or develop any Symptoms during the retreat. As such, you are strongly urged to obtain travel insurance that provides adequate protections against these risks.

Additional Waiver. This waiver is incorporated into and made a part of other waivers you agreed to in connection with signing up for the retreat. In the event of a conflict between these terms and the terms of any other waiver, this waiver shall govern.

Purchasing Travel Insurance

We highly, highly recommend you get travel insurance to cover your expenses and losses, in the event you cannot make the Women’s Quest retreat for any reason or if  you test positive or come down with Symptoms prior to the retreat, develop Symptoms during the retreat, or cannot return home due to Covid related issues.  We recommend getting insurance that covers the cost of your trip, medical care while at the retreat, and coverage to pay for the necessary quarantine period if you test positive or come down with Covid.  Please remember, if you have to cancel your trip in the unfortunate event you come down with Covid, test positive, or suffer Symptoms prior to or during the retreat and need to leave, Women’s Quest cannot provide a refund since we have to pay your trip expenses well ahead of time.

If you are concerned about travel and the changing environment in which we are living irrespective of your Covid status, we recommend getting travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. This coverage is more expensive, however, may provide you with the coverage and flexibility you desire.

Irrespective of the travel insurance you get, please make sure you talk to a travel insurance agent prior to buying any insurance and make sure you have the coverage you desire and that the policy will cover trip cancellation, medical expenses and trip interruption due to Covid. 

You can do your own investigation by checking out Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison company that helps travelers search, compare and buy travel insurance online https://www.squaremouth.com/22393