Ten kilometres below Cortina, between the Antelao and the Pelmo, with a small lake in the village and the prices of a place where people actually live.
A short history
San Vito di Cadore sits at 1,010 metres on the Alemagna road, ten kilometres south of Cortina, between two of the most imposing mountains in the Cadore: the Antelao, right above it to the east, and the Pelmo, closing the horizon to the west. It is a position that gives San Vito a different light from Cortina's, more enclosed and more vertical.
The village has a Cadore history, made of woods, timber and trade along the road that ran down towards the Piave. It was not born as a holiday resort and it shows: the houses are those of a mountain municipality, and life in winter carries on even when the hotels are half empty.
In the centre stands the sixteenth-century church of the Madonna della Difesa, the best known building in the village, and not far away the Mosigo lake, a small stretch of water with a meadow around it that in summer becomes the spot where families stop.
For anyone coming to the Dolomites, San Vito is above all a practical choice: it is inside the Cortina ski area and twenty minutes from its trails, but it sleeps and eats at another price. It is the classic case where moving ten kilometres changes the bill for the holiday without changing the mountains.
How to fit San Vito di Cadore into a three, five or seven day trip: The Dolomites in 3, 5 or 7 Days: How to Plan Your Trip.
What to see
- The Sorapis lake, reached from the Tre Croci Pass above Cortina, half an hour from the village by car.
- The Cinque Torri and the Lagazuoi hut, on the other side of the basin, towards the Falzarego Pass.
- The centre with the church of the Madonna della Difesa and the Mosigo lake, the small lake with a meadow a few minutes' walk from the houses.
How to get to San Vito di Cadore
San Vito is on the Alemagna road between Pieve di Cadore and Cortina. By car you come up from Belluno, or down ten kilometres from Cortina. By train you get off at Calalzo di Cadore, the end of the line from Belluno and Padua, and continue on the scheduled buses that climb towards Cortina and stop in the village. It is one of the few places in the basin where parking is not a problem.
When to go
In summer it is a handy base for the trails of the Ampezzo basin, with less traffic and less queueing than Cortina. In winter you ski the local area and reach the Cortina pistes in minutes. In autumn the valley floor stays green longer than the high ground, and the Antelao under the first snow is one of the sharpest profiles in the Dolomites.
Frequently asked questions
Where is San Vito di Cadore?
At 1,010 metres on the Alemagna road, ten kilometres south of Cortina d'Ampezzo, between the Antelao to the east and the Pelmo to the west. By train you arrive at Calalzo di Cadore and continue on the buses climbing towards Cortina.
Is it worth staying in San Vito instead of Cortina?
For many people, yes. San Vito is inside the Cortina ski area and twenty minutes from its trails, but it sleeps and eats at another price, and parking is not a problem. The mountains are the same.
What to see in San Vito di Cadore?
The sixteenth-century church of the Madonna della Difesa and the Mosigo lake, the small lake with a meadow a few minutes from the centre. From here you reach the Sorapis lake, the Cinque Torri and the Lagazuoi in half an hour.
Which mountains can you see from San Vito?
The Antelao, right above the village to the east and the second highest peak in the Dolomites, and the Pelmo, closing the horizon to the west. They are two very different and very recognisable profiles, and they give the village a more enclosed, more vertical light than the Cortina basin has.