Cortina d'Ampezzo

The chapters on Cortina's rise as a glamorous twentieth-century resort are what hooked me — I had no idea how much old-world charm shaped the town. Plenty of alpine adventure in there too, and the writing never drags.

The vintage photos of Cortina's mid-century heyday are worth it alone, and the chapters on how it became a glamorous alpine destination fill in a story I only half knew. Read it slowly over a few evenings and it feels like a little trip to the Dolomites.

The vintage photos of Cortina's early glamour years are what really sold me on this book. I read it before a ski trip and it made the town feel familiar before I even arrived.