WHY ANCORA CORTINA IS THE FASHION WORLD’S ALPINE ADDRESS TO KNOW NOW
From Renzo Rosso’s creative vision to Vicky Charles-designed interiors, destination dining and a new generation of alpine luxury, Ancora Cortina is giving Dubai travellers another reason to look north this winter.
Hello Beauties,
There are mountain hotels built around skiing, and then there are addresses that become part of the culture of a destination. Ancora Cortina belongs firmly in the second category.
Set directly on Corso Italia in the centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the historic hotel first opened in 1826 and was reintroduced in 2025 through the vision of Renzo Rosso, founder of fashion group OTB. For anyone who follows fashion, that name changes the context immediately: OTB is the group behind Diesel, Maison Margiela, Jil Sander and other influential fashion businesses.
What has emerged in Cortina is therefore less a conventional luxury-hotel renovation and more an exercise in translating fashion-world instinct into hospitality — through interiors, food, atmosphere and the kind of details that make a place memorable long after checkout.
From Milan Fashion Week To The Dolomites
The timing is particularly interesting. Milano Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2027 edition runs from 22 to 28 September 2026, once again putting Italian fashion at the centre of the international conversation. Yet some of the industry’s most compelling ideas are no longer confined to a runway.
For Rosso, Ancora Cortina represents another expression of the same creative world: one where fashion, design, hospitality, food and culture increasingly overlap.
And for travellers from Dubai, that crossover feels especially relevant. The UAE has become accustomed to hospitality that is about considerably more than a room. The places worth travelling for now need a point of view — in their architecture, their food, their service and the world they create around the guest.
The Interiors: Alpine, But Not Predictable
The interiors are central to Ancora’s new identity. Rosso brought in Vicky Charles and Charles & Co., the studio founded by the former Soho House design director, to reinterpret the property without stripping away its history.
The result avoids the most obvious mountain-hotel vocabulary. There is wood and stone, of course, but there are also rich textiles, warm colour, vintage-inspired lighting and carefully layered objects that give the spaces a sense of personality rather than uniformity.
That distinction matters. Instead of designing every room to an identical formula, the hotel embraces individuality. The effect is closer to staying inside a highly considered private residence than a conventional international hotel.
Why Cortina Is Back On The Fashion Radar
Cortina has never really disappeared from the luxury map. Its particular appeal is that fashion, sport and Italian social life coexist naturally: a day on the mountain can move into an afternoon on Corso Italia and dinner without the destination ever feeling as though it has changed personality.
That relationship will become even more visible from 4 to 8 December 2026, when the 16th Cortina Fashion Weekend opens the winter season. The official programme positions the town as a meeting point for fashion, lifestyle, sport and culture, with presentations, talks, cocktails, music and events throughout the centre.
For anyone travelling from Dubai for an early-season European winter escape, those dates are worth noting.
Destination: Cortina d’Ampezzo, Dolomites, Italy
Hotel: Ancora Cortina
Location: Corso Italia 62, in the centre of Cortina
Best for: winter travel, design-led stays, fashion travellers, food and alpine lifestyle
Cortina Fashion Weekend 2026: 4–8 December 2026
Nearest major air gateways include Venice, Treviso and Innsbruck.
The Spa Is Designed For The Other Half Of A Cortina Day
In a destination defined by movement, wellness becomes part of the rhythm rather than a separate itinerary item. Ancora’s spa brings that idea indoors with warm water, steam, subdued lighting and spaces designed for the hours after skiing, hiking or simply being out in the cold.
And Then There Is The Food
The hospitality story continues at the table. Ancora describes its restaurant philosophy around local, seasonal and sustainable cooking, while Executive Chef Andrea Chivetto leads the kitchen.
The approach makes sense for the property: recognisably Italian, connected to its location, but not trapped by nostalgia. Cortina may provide the landscape, yet the ambition is broader than traditional mountain cooking.
Andrea Chivetto And Clara Astegiano
Chivetto’s cooking is joined by the work of pastry chef Clara Astegiano, whose approach is built around seasonality, precision and balance. It is another small but important part of what makes the hotel interesting: the food is not being treated as an amenity attached to the rooms, but as part of the identity of the house.
After Dark, Ancora Changes Gear
The hotel is not trying to become a silent mountain retreat once dinner ends. Its bar and social spaces allow the mood to move from daytime Cortina into something more polished and energetic after dark.
Why This One Is On Our Winter Radar
What makes Ancora Cortina interesting is not simply that a fashion entrepreneur owns a beautiful hotel in the Dolomites. It is the way all the pieces connect.
Fashion informs the eye. Interior design gives the property personality. Food gives guests a reason to remain in the building. Cortina provides the history and landscape. And the result feels relevant to the same international audience that moves comfortably between Dubai, Milan, Paris and the Alps.
For Dubai-based travellers looking towards Europe this winter, Ancora is exactly the sort of address we want on the list: established enough to have history, new enough to feel current, and individual enough not to look like every other luxury hotel in the feed.
Ancora Cortina: The Questions Worth Asking
Who owns Ancora Cortina?
Ancora Cortina was relaunched through the vision of Renzo Rosso, founder of OTB, the fashion group whose portfolio includes Diesel, Maison Margiela and Jil Sander.
Who designed Ancora Cortina?
The interior project was developed by Charles & Co., the studio led by Vicky Charles, former design director of Soho House.
Where is Ancora Cortina located?
The hotel is located at Corso Italia 62 in the centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites.
Is Cortina worth visiting from Dubai in winter?
For travellers interested in skiing, Italian food, fashion, design and alpine hospitality, Cortina offers a very different winter experience from Dubai while remaining firmly within the luxury-travel world. Early December is particularly interesting in 2026 because Cortina Fashion Weekend runs from 4 to 8 December.
When is Cortina Fashion Weekend 2026?
The 16th edition of Cortina Fashion Weekend is scheduled for 4–8 December 2026 and marks the opening of the destination’s winter season with fashion, lifestyle, sport and cultural programming.
Which airports are closest to Cortina d’Ampezzo?
Ancora Cortina lists Venice Marco Polo, Treviso and Innsbruck among the main airport gateways, with onward travel to Cortina by road.
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