After a long bus ride from hot & muggy Venice, the mountain town of Cortina was like a breath of fresh air (literally). After checking into our hotel, we decided to continue our upward trend and ride a cable car to the top of Cortina's most famous, nearby mountain - the Tofana, at over 3200 m (10,500+ feet). It was pricier than expected (40 Euro to the very top) But Hey - it was a clear summer's day! And when would we be coming back?! The full business name appeared to be: Tofana Cortina - Freccia nel Cielo (or "arrow in the sky"). And it was actually three different legs: one gondola and two cable cars, with transfer points at mid-level peaks. Restaurants with bars were available at each point, but we needed to complete our round trip in under 2 hours due to our late start. And again, the top (Cima Tofana) was our focus. After reaching the final station at 3191m the views from the giant deck were astounding. The town of Cortina was laid out below us like a toy village, and we could see several prominent points in the surrounding Dolomites (some of which we would walk by in the following days on the AV1). We had the opportunity to climb another 50m further up to the peak from there, which a few of us started to do. But when the path became narrow and sketchy, and the dropoffs became potentially fatal, I turned around due to poor shoes. (That, and half the people around us were dressed in climbing gear). It was a sweet but short visit. After spending about 20 more minutes at the top station we rode the last cable car down; no time to grab a snack or cocktail. Despite knowing what we were in for, my primary complaint is still the early closing time: 5 pm (i.e. over three hours before sunset in early August). The lower transfer stations closed down soon after. (Why?) If I ever do return to Cortina, I'd come back, but with an earlier start. Tips and tricks: - Bring an extra layer - The top can be much cooler (and windier) than the base - Wear good hiking shoes if you fancy some extra excursions - Give yourself plenty of time! read more

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