With the 2026 Olympic Winter Games now less than 180 days away, Cortina d’Ampezzo finds itself between a rock and a hard place.
As preparations progress across the Italian Dolomites, landslides near Cortina have caused unexpected aggravation and uncertainty.
The majority of the natural slides starting from below the summit of massive 3,152-meter Croda Marcora – towering on the outskirts of Cortina’s neighboring town of San Vito di Cadore – have forced sporadic closures of the primary SS51 road entering the 1956 Olympic resort town. As heavy rain and thunderstorms approach, the road has periodically been shut. Regional authorities have installed warning systems integrated with the road network.
While the unfortunate natural occurrences are still too early to hassle legions of Olympic curling fans flocking into town from Venice, the multiple incidents – which began in early July – have significantly halted traffic flow causing headaches for tourists, local businesses and workers in the Eastern Dolomites region.
Recently, even on days free of scattered rocks and debris, the 12-kilometer stretch of road connecting San Vito and Cortina has been closed in both directions, from 9:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. the next morning.
Fortunately, the situation may be improving entering mid-August. Italy’s Ferragosto holidays are in full swing, heightening concerns among hotel and local business owners during the Italian resort’s busiest time of year, aside from winter. Naturally, if visitors can’t get into town, how will they spend their hard-earned holiday Euros on the Veneto region’s renowned Aperol Spritzes?
Mattia Zambon owns the popular Mato restaurant in San Vito, the last business establishment in that town – renowned for the area’s tastiest hamburgers – along the road to Cortina.
“Tourists come here and they are very upset – they ask how do we get to Cortina, how do we get to Tre Cime de Lavaredo, how do we get to Lake Sorapis, so it’s been very frustrating,” Zambon said, noting popular Dolomites hikes and landmarks in the region.
From the southern direction of Venice, Cortina can still be accessed through an alternate route – a circuitous counterclockwise drive passing through the small town of Auronzo. It adds upwards of an hour to the journey.
It remains uncertain whether or not the reoccurring landslides will affect ongoing preparations and construction projects for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which open on Feb. 8.
Olympic curling mixed doubles round robin matches begin two days earlier on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
With the recent completion of the bobsleigh and luge track, the largest construction work ongoing is the new Apollonio-Socrepes Cable Car, a strategic mobility project which will connect the center of Cortina to the ski resort’s base area and facilitate easier access to the women’s Olympia delle Tofane race course. Deadlines are tight, so any inconveniences caused by the landslides could prove significant.
Regional authorities asked Veneto region president Luca Zaia for an urgent response to the natural incidents to restore containment structures and strengthen infrastructure.
Hopefully for all, the only rocks sliding during the XXV Olympic Winter Games will be the 44-pound granite stones along the glimmering four sheets of ice at the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium.
Follow Brian Pinelli on Instagram @brian.pinelli