Cortina is beautiful.

Cortina is gorgeous.

Its blue skies, green hills, grayish/brownish/bluish mountains combine for powerful effect. It was the site of 1956 Winter Olympics, as well as filming location for Peter Sellers’–The Pink Panther, Roger Moore’s 007–For Your Eyes Only and Sly Stallone’s–Cliffhanger. It also has that vibe of rich people.

I saw a woman in black ski pants and an ostentatiously stylish fur jacket. Luckily it was off season, so I was allowed to pass through the gates of conspicuous wealth, as parking was free this time of year. The hotels must cater to this type of affluence, and they all look wonderful.

This last one was special to me. My grandmother’s family originated from this area. My great-grandfather was an immigrant stone mason. The stone and brick work appeared so often in bridges, churches or walls, and looked to be constructed with strength and ingenuity. Check out the bridge in the background.

People and dogs love a good walk, but somehow, in this town (and maybe the world) people really resembled their canine companions!

This guy, not so much. But, I introduced myself to this wolf and his body felt like one big muscle, and his fur was not soft like the others.

Old ladies love the balcony people watching time. She was nice and smiled and waved.

I took a slow drive home, stopped along the aquamarine lake, and stuck my fingers in the water. It was as expected, frigid.