The most exclusive interiors and iconic places of Cortina told for the first time in a beautifully illustrated book.
An intimate look at wonderful chalets, huts and private homes, often inaccessible and lovingly lived in, treasure chests of objects that reveal anecdotes of famous families and intertwine luxury and family warmth, design and local traditions. The Queen of the Dolomites. Living in Cortina d’Ampezzo, published by Marsilio Arte, opens the doors of some of the most exclusive homes in the pearl of the Dolomites, revealing its unmistakable lifestyle.
After An Invitation to Venice, Servane Giol takes the reader on a story entirely dedicated to Cortina, ranging from sports to folk traditions, from fine fabrics to typical materials, with many curiosities about the characters – writers, intellectuals, artists who have contributed to building the myth of this magical town.
Through the unpublished shots of Mattia Aquila the reader can immerse themselves in the intimacy and unique atmosphere of these homes, from the delightful salles de bain to the halls where wood and taste for decoration dominate, from the retro-style kitchens with richly laid tables to the sumptuous bedrooms, from unexpected corners with wonderful wooden staircases reinterpreted in a modern key, inlaid chairs, coffered ceilings, verandas, precious doors, up to the windows wide open onto the lush greenery or the snow-capped mountain.
Divided into two macro-sections that follow the rhythm of time and the changing colors of nature, Winter and Summer – to which the “double” cover of the book is dedicated – the volume tells the story of Cortina and its habits, in the changing seasons, from the mountain huts to the stube (the ancient stoves), from the flower-painted furniture to the home-cooked banquets, from the magnificently set tables for Christmas, to the traditional clothes. Through the images of some of the most exclusive places in the magnificent valley, many photographed for the first time, The Queen of the Dolomites. Living in Cortina d’Ampezzo reveals the secrets, habits and customs of one of the main mountain destinations in Italy, where contemporary sensitivity mixes with the rustic roots of the place.
Starting from the importance of skiing and the 1956 Olympic Games, which definitively sealed Cortina’s tourist vocation and its international fame, Giol focuses on the materials, functional elements and decorative details that furnish the most spectacular homes. Ceramic and majolica stoves, stone fireplaces, some majestic, others more intimate, furs that cover sofas and armchairs, unique chandeliers, beautifully carved in wood and masterfully decorated – the so-called luster (literally, “horns”) – depicting hybrid creatures that are half human and half animal, with the ends ending in horns, populate the pages dedicated to the materials and style of winter. Cortina has also been the set of numerous famous films, from The Pink Panther to 007. For Your Eyes Only, as well as a refuge for international celebrities and famous people, such as Ernest Hemingway, who stayed at the Hotel de la Poste, where “his” room is still miraculously intact. Giol then focuses on the typical dishes of the Ampezzo cuisine, which, as often happens in border towns, blend the flavors of Tyrol with those of Italy.
The section dedicated to summer shows the magnificent Cortina valley, surrounded by the imposing Dolomite walls of the Tofane, Monte Cristallo and the Sorapiss group, the stone giants that are a UNESCO heritage site. Always a paradise for those who love nature, walking and climbing, the culture of mountaineering is the basis of summer tourism in Ampezzo. Giol's story continues in the footsteps of the medieval history of Cortina - evidenced by the stones that remain of the three castles of Botestagno, de Zanna and Sant'Uberto - to then linger on the materials of Cortina in the summer: dolomite stone, wrought iron, copper and pewter, whose workmanship is part of a craft tradition that has been handed down for centuries.
There is no lack of reference to intellectuals such as Indro Montanelli, who lived in Cortina mainly in the summer, with photos of his desk and the splendid living room of the house overlooking the valley, with the wooden table engraved with the date of his wedding to his wife, Colette Rosselli. Or the story of the two “queens” of Cortina: Ira von Furstenberg, the so-called “Lady Europe”, a title she won at the European beauty contest held in the Venetian town in 1965; and Marta Marzotto, queen of high society, who stayed in Cortina for months and organized exclusive dinners, events and parties, memories of which are still preserved.
Splendid are the pages dedicated to the traditional costumes of Cortina and their Ladin influences, to the art of filigree and the Ampezzo fabrics, to the summer flavors that are simple, familiar, rustic, linked to popular customs and the seasons.
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