by 
For Italians, speed is synonymous. Adagio – the cobblestones thrum beneath a Roman taxi. Andante – a serene parade of fur coats down Cortina’s Corso Italia. In Italy, all good things come to those who stay.
And now, a relaxing nine-hour overnight journey on the new Espresso Cadore sleeper train makes the marriage of Rome and Cortina even sweeter. Until this winter, connecting the pair required an eight-hour drive. Now, skiers leave the Eternal City on Friday evenings at 9.40pm and arrive in Calalzo di Cadore (45 minutes by bus from Cortina) just before 8am. The retro-equipped train offers single and double sleeper cabins, with four or six-person couchettes reserved for groups. The restaurant car serves dinner and breakfast on board, and there is a bar throughout the night.
The journey begins in Roma Termini and – after an unannounced track change that added 20 sweaty minutes to the rehearsal – a group of red-coated stewards and waiters were ready for us to board, eager to experience the newest way to bring a city together. taste. break with skiing.
Our socket had two beds made up with crisp white sheets, a duvet, bottled water, toiletries and, crucially, a window that opened. In the dining car, retro Cortina ski photos hung above linen-dressed tables lit with tiny lamps and red upholstered seats. A three course menu and bar snacks were served with proper china and, delightfully, half a bottle of wine was only €9 (£7.70) and poured into your own glass. Bellissimo!
Quiet in the city
A similarly leisurely pace had been applied in the previous two days in Rome. In a city that is bursting with pleasure ruin-rings, museums, galleries, and more than 200 Fountains, two days provided a tidy arrangement.
It was also a blessing on the budget. Compared to the high season of May to October, Rome’s winter hotel prices are lower and there are fewer visitors. Even the police seemed to have the illusion of ease: the law on the Spanish steps, enacted in 2016, was not put without prosecution for ice cream lovers.
A landmark since the 1720s, the Hassler Hotel sits in a privileged position at the top of the historic staircase. Run by the family for six generations, the perch of warmth and elegance has attracted many luminaries – from Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to Eisenhower, who established his private study here, and Audrey Hepburn who was a favorite placed silk cushion 610 from her periods.
The early morning bells of nearby Trinità dei Monti are a call to action: hundreds of sparkling boutiques and designer shops spill out from the Piazza di Spagna below. Another bonus for cool weather visitors: January sales are in full swing.
When you are in Rome, even in winter it is wise to make a reservation in advance. Heavy hitters like the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel are never out of season. We bought last minute tickets at gates 17th century Villa Borghese, an ornate feast of Baroque paintings and Roman sculptures by Rubens, Raphael and Caravaggio. Later, a hop-on hop-off bus tour, a cheap and exciting way to cover thousands of years of history in an hour and a half, didn’t require much energy.
On to the slopes
With the city behind us, we headed through the night towards Italy’s best Alpine destination – the perfect companion to the Eternal City’s elegance. Cortina, where people wear fur and dogs wear clothes – the most Italian of Italian resorts and a byword for alpine glamor since Sophia Loren opened the 1956 Winter Olympics here with smiles around the globe.
With one ski boot firmly planted in the past, Cortina now looks to its future as co-host of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Efforts are underway to modernize – although no one is saying much about what, how or when – to update aging lifts, improve inadequate road access and raise run-down hotels.
A bright light on the hotel front is Hotel de Len, a plush haven that opened in 2022. The best view in the house is an intimate spa on the sixth floor, where peaks shimmer through panoramic windows that frame the sauna, Ice waterfall and open-air hot tub. In the evenings, occasional chef exchanges – such as a January dinner with a Sardinian chef Luigi Pomata — offers main menus together with Hotel de Len’s own chef Andrea Ribaldone.
The smog of the city is now forgotten, there was no lack of clean air at the top of the Tofane mountains, waking up in the sunlight and groomed to perfection. Under the engaging guidance of Filippo Turrin, from the local outfit with experience in the Dolomite Mountains, we circled Cortina’s famous south-facing slopes, including the classic Stratofana Olimpica Ladies’ Downhill.
The heartening drop of 56 percent, pre-iced as it was for the upcoming World Cup race, and sandwiched between two treacherous rock walls, called for celebration.
Rifugio Pomedes has been welcoming sun worshipers to the scene since 1956, when Austrian racer Toni Sailer won three Olympic golds on the slopes of the resort, at the first televised Winter Games. I swallowed a Bombarino – the whipped cream, egg and rum-doused concoction that screams long live Italy! – and Filippo looked for the highlights of one of the world’s greatest alpine panoramas on the horizon.
The glittering Marmolada Glacier, Nuvolau (home of the first hut in the region built in 1883), Cinque Torri (an alpine paradise), Antelao (King of the Dolomites), and the ski areas of Faloria and Cristallo are on the other side of the valley.
All eyes are on Cortina in 2026. Now that the Queen of the Dolomites is just one sleep away from the Eternal City, a rebirth is underway. Given what Italy knows about the revival business, it could be a masterpiece.
Fundamentals
The Rome-Cortina Sleeper train costs from £134 per passenger in six berths, leaving Roma Termini at 9.40pm on Friday and arriving in Cortina at 7.57am on Saturday, December 2024 to February 2025 (dates to be confirmed).
In Rome, a double at the Hassler Roma Hotel costs from £856 per night. In Cortina, a double at Hotel de Len costs from £384 per night, B&B.
Leslie has been a guest at Hotel Hassler, Hotel de Len and Dolomite Mountains.
