It was a bit late in the evening when I went out to have a look at the main shopping street of Cortina d’Ampezzo. I might have enjoyed my pizza a little too much. Anyway, by the time I got out a lot of the shops along the pedestrian street were already closed which is a shame. I was still trying to salvage whatever I can see here since i has already gotten quiet here. I guess no one really likes walking the cold even if it is a pedestrian shopping street. I somehow stumbled into one of the symbols of Cortina d’Ampezzo – their Olympic marker.

Why would there be one here. Turns out Cortina d’Ampezzo will jointly host the 26th Winter Olympics with Milan in 2026. Looking at how central winter sports are here in Cortina d’Ampezzo, it is not surprising to the town to host the event. Probably to show how important Cortina d’Ampezzo is to winter sports, this isn’t the first time it has hosted the Winter Olympics. In fact, the city was an Olympic city in 1956 even before Rome did which hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960. The 1956 Winter Olympics was held here in Cortina d’Ampezzo though it could have been a decade earlier but it was cancelled because of the war. Hopefully, these days there won’t be any reason to cancel any Olympics anymore.

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