For the Veneto municipalities along the border, South Tyrol has always been a Siren whose song draws all the attention to itself; the desire to cross the border is far too strong, and for years many municipalities have been fighting to land in South Tyrol.
Autonomy and a better quality of life have always been the wish of these municipalities which, every year and above all in winter, watch their cousins close the ski season with excellent results while the Veneto balance sheets weep.
The greater care taken of the territory and the higher-quality services are not just the result of an innate talent for tourism among South Tyroleans, but above all of the ability to manage their own finances autonomously, which allows them to cope with the many costs of modernisation.
South Tyrol calls Cortina
Luis Durnwalder
But while Sappada’s decision was well received by the people of Friuli, the same did not happen for Lamon with the Trentino Alto Adige Region: the request was in fact rejected, and the decision now lies with Veneto and the central government.
The no to Lamon, however, does not seem to stem from any prejudice on the part of Trentino’s governors, but rather from a strategic decision.
This was confirmed by the recent statement by Luis Durnwalder (president of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano), in which he sang the praises of Cortina, inviting it to leave Veneto and join South Tyrol. Replies to Durnwalder’s courtship were not long in coming, and the first to respond was the Governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, who stated that his South Tyrolean colleague has no decision-making power over the mountain resort and that, if anything, it will be the people of Cortina themselves who must have their say through a proper referendum.
Among Veneto politicians, the statement by the President of the Province of Bolzano left a bitter taste, since Cortina has always been considered the capital of the Veneto mountains, and losing it would mean handing the capital of the Dolomites over to South Tyrol, tearing apart what little remains of Veneto’s mountain heritage after the departure of Sappada.
Cortina in South Tyrol, a stellar future?
Many people in Veneto (and elsewhere) think that annexation to South Tyrol would allow Cortina to become the “ski capital of Italy”.
The Ampezzo basin is known all over the world as one of the most beautiful tourist resorts in the world and one of the top 10 mountain tourist destinations on the planet. Its extraordinary natural heritage, the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, would make any region’s mouth water, and South Tyrol’s all the more, since its economy is built precisely on mountain tourism.
Ski lifts from 50 years ago, the lack of innovation and the lack of a solid economic development plan for the valley are some of the areas where South Tyrol could step in and reverse the course.
The first thing would certainly be a complete overhaul of the lifts and ski slopes (regional funds are certainly not lacking), followed right away by a plan to take Cortina to the top of the world.
Perhaps these are just fantasies born of a distorted view of South Tyrol’s capabilities and resources, or perhaps not. It is certainly hard to imagine Durnwalder coming out so bluntly if there were no serious plan in South Tyrol to win over Cortina, and with it the Dolomites…
And what do you think? Yes or no to Cortina moving to South Tyrol? (comment below)
No comments yet