It was 1956 when the world discovered Cortina d'Ampezzo, a small mountain village nestled in the Dolomites that would become one of the most iconic places in the world, chosen by directors for their films and celebrities for their vacations. Since then, Cortina has been transformed from a small mountain village of ranchers and lumberjacks to a place known and loved all over the world, home to more than 25 editions of the Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup, Nordic skiing events, the Snowboard World Cup, the Freeride World Cup, and various sporting events of the many outdoor sports disciplines. Not only that: here, in fact, Blake Edwards, in 1963, set his "Pink Panther", the film starring David Niven and Peter Sellers, and the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren have spent their vacations here. Even for ordinary tourists, however, it is possible to cross the ski slopes that have been cut through by the world's best sportsmen, even in summer: from the terrace of the Pomedes Refuge, which stands at 2,303 meters perched at the base of the buttresses of Tofana di Mezzo, in fact, it is possible to enjoy a unique and breathtaking view of the Ampezzo basin and the surrounding mountains. The refuge was built precisely in 1955 on the occasion of the first Olympics, and from here it is possible to see the start of the World Cup ski races held in Cortina and the famous Olympia ski slope on the Tofane. But among the mountains of Cortina there is not only the history of the Olympics, there is also the more tragic history of the First World War. Traces of the conflict can be found, for example, in the Pocol Military Memorial, located at 1535 meters above sea level. It is a monumental work, built in 1935 based on the design of engineer Giovanni Raimondi: the monument consists of a square tower 48 meters high, with a two-shelf base where the actual Shrine is located. It is here that the remains of several Italian fallen, known and unknown, from the various war cemeteries of Cadore and Ampezzano are preserved. Part of the monument is also a crypt, where there is a sepulchral monument depicting the "Dead Infantryman", as well as the graves of General Antonio Cantore and Captain Francesco Barbieri, both of whom were decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valor. Upstairs, on the other hand, are the graves of other fallen soldiers decorated with the Gold Medal for Military Valor: Lieutenant Mario Fusetti, hero of Sasso Stria, and Captain Baiardi, commanding his company at Cima Sief. Near the Tower, you can also visit the small church built in 1916 by the Alpine soldiers of the Fifth Group as a chapel of the war cemetery that once existed in the same place.
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