Cortina is situated to the center of the Valle d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites, and is positioned between Cadore (to the south) and the Val Pusteria (to north), Val d' Ansiei (to east) and Agordo (to the west). It is encircled to 360° from the Dolomites. Amongst the more famous mountains are Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, and Faloria and Sorapiss to east, and Becco di Mezzodì, and Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to south. The city center is located at an alitude of 1,224 m, although the highest summit is that of the Tofana di Mezzo which towers at 3,244 m. There is a significant water presence in the territory, under the form of torrents, streams and little lakes (Ghedina, Pianozes, d'Ajal...), which fill particularly during the summer snow melt season. Fauna include marmots, roe deers, chamoises and hares.
In the Middle Age, Ampezzo fell under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, and of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1420, the village was conquered by the Republic of Venice. In 1508 it was conquered by Austria, and by 1511 people of Ampezzo swore loyalty to the Emperor Maximilian. Although remaining a Habsburg's possession until 1920, Ampezzo never turned into a German-speaking territory and conserved its original language, Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language.
When Italy entered the World War in 1915, most of the male inhabitants were fighting for Austria on the Russian front. 669 male inhabitants, most of them under 16 or over 50, tried to fight the Italian troops. Outnumbered by the Italians, they had to retreat. After the Austrian recovery 1917, the town was occupied again by the Tyrolian Standschützen. Following Italy's victory in World War I, Ampezzo was finally given to Italy.
