The black “Vs” are back in Cortina. For the seventh year in a row they have chosen the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf as the venue to prepare for the next season’s tournament. The champions from Bologna will stay in the Ampezzo Valley for four days (from 27th to 31st August). They will train intensely before the new championship begins.

For further information: www.virtus.it
 

“Ferragustando al Cristallo”, an event organised by the Cristallo Hotel, is expected to be a very special day. Enjoy this day and the summer in general in the company of family or friends and the customers of the restaurant, in the hotel’s garden, with a pleasant musical background and surrounded by the majestic Tofane Mountains. An enormous buffet will be offered on the terrace and in the garden, with six tables containing the best Made in Italy foods and wines, set up in the corners with fantastic views.

For reservation and further information: restaurant@cristallo.it

The Cristallo Hotel will be the venue of one of the most important events in the summer of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the second edition of “Una Montagna di Libri” [a mountain of books], a series of meetings with writers in Cortina. This successful partnership was extended after last year’s winter edition. A number of great writers and learned scholars will be visiting the “Queen of the Dolomites” during this summer event, which highlights the deep bond the hotel has with culture in general and with local culture in particular. The excellent authors who will be “performing” (in one way or another) on the cultural stages of Cortina will be staying in the luxury five-star hotel. They will be included in a very special project – a guest book that will be drafted in the next months. Two meetings of literature and music have been included in the schedule of events. Participants will be able to enjoy reading with the protagonists of literature while pleasant piano music is played in the background.

Every Thursday in August, the evening meal offered by the Veranda restaurant will be focused on “Italian tastes”. This “food journey” will lead guests and customers through the colours, tastes and smells of the tastiest Mediterranean foods, skilfully prepared by the chef Marco Badalucci, who will add a personal touch to every dish. These gourmand evenings are unique - there will be a different menu every evening. The dishes will be prepared with the freshest and healthiest seasonal products according to the best Mediterranean cooking tradition. This “journey” among the foods of central and southern Italy will allow guests and customers to discover some of the regions that have the tastiest and most famous cooking traditions in the world, such as Calabria, Tuscany, Sicily and, of course, Campania, the region the chef is from. The simple, fresh, healthy dishes are traditional Mediterranean dishes and are particularly good in the summer. This is a very tasty surprise for the guests of the Veranda del Cristallo restaurant – a unique experience offered by a chef who is famous in Italy and abroad.

Following the Ampezzo leg of the Polo Audi Gold Cup, which in February attracted countless enthusiasts from the international jet set to Lake Misurina, the Cristallo also acted as partner of the latest and most eagerly awaited international polo event, held in Sardinia, in Porto Cervo, , from 29 May to 5 June. The Emerald Coast Spring Polo - Audi Gold Cup forms part of the extremely select World Polo Tour, encompassing some of the most prestigious polo events across the globe. Once again, the Cristallo offered its support to this top-end circuit through its traditional partnership, uninterrupted since 2004.

Once again, this year Cortina will salute the colours of the Fiorentina football club, which is to return to the Dolomites from the 15th to the 30th of July to prepare for the upcoming football season. For the second year running, the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf will host the team for the entire duration of the training. Following the coaching - to take place at the Antonella De Rigo sports centre in Fiames. The Cristallo is undoubtedly the best venue for an exclusive stay before that eagerly awaited return to the football pitches.

An unparalleled atmosphere of exclusivity is to reign supreme in Cortina d’Ampezzo during one of the most eagerly awaited events of the forthcoming summer season: the "Audi in City Golf", a truly unique golf tournament in more ways than one, of which the Cristallo is to be one of the leading protagonist. For two days, the 16th and 17th of July, the Queen of the Dolomites will be transformed into an extensive golf green: from the pedestrian zone of Corso Italia to the stadium, which recently hosted the Curling World Cup, and on as far as the gardens of Cortina's 5-star luxury hotel and, of course, the brand new Cortina Golf Club. The hotel will be taking part in this exceptional competition through its partnership with the Cortina Golf Club, providing an opening cocktail reception and a gala dinner, during which the highly-coveted prize will be awarded.

From the Cristallo Hotel to the Golf Club House in Golf cart. Thanks to the exclusive free Shuttle service, the Cristallo offers a further service to Golf players. In more or less 10 minutes the guests of the Hotel can reach the Golf Club House on the new Golf Cart. Does this service have an environmental impact? No, because the shuttle car is electric. Service available on request. Booking required. For information and bookings please contact the concierge desk.Tel. +39 0436 881 111 (extension 9) or concierge@cristallo.it

Once again there is a perfect combination of skills and knowledge in Cortina d'Ampezzo, for an exclusive evening that will have a special place in the history of the “Queen” and the rest of the region. As announced, famous guests and partners participated in this “cosmic” event. The Cristallo Hotel was among them. Marco Badalucci, the chef of the 5-star luxury hotel in the Dolomites, prepared the Blue Diamond dinner, a special meal cooked for a few privileged guests and eaten in mid-air, in one of the cable cars of the Faloria cableway, 2134 metres above sea level. The event may be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records and, from the next season, it will become an event unique to Cortina. To celebrate the occasion – a dinner among the stars in the sky - the barlady Ursula Chioma prepared a precious cocktail with sapphire dust, Stars in the Sky.

Here is another of the achievements of the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf Cortina d’Ampezzo. After its success at the 2009 World Travel Awards, where it was declared to be the best ski resort in Italy and Europe, Cortina’s 5-star luxury hotel received three nominations for this year's edition of the awards (“Best Ski resort in Europe”, “Best Tourist Resort in Italy”, “Best Ski resort in Italy”). Yet again the Cristallo Hotel has proved it is one of the leading hotels in the restricted circle of excellent tourist resorts in Italy and in the world. The World Travel Awards - established in 1993 to celebrate the best results obtained during the year in the world's tourism industry - are prestigious international awards. If you wish to vote for the Cristallo click here

http://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote

A delightfully unique weekend awaits you in Cortina d'Ampezzo from 12th to 14th March, thanks to the Cioccolando Glamour event, dedicated entirely to the best loved dessert of all times. The Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf will participate on 13th February, with a dream come true for chocolate lovers: a gourmet dinner based entirely on chocolate, from starter to dessert, with dishes prepared by top chefs to create an irresistible and very original meal.
 

Moreover  the Cristallo will offer another unique experience, CioccoSpa, during which Cristallo Ultimate Spa will propose body and face massages and treatments strictly based on the use of chocolate.

The palate, body and mind will be enveloped in a programme of pleasure, transforming the Cristallo into a brand new Chocolate Factory!

 

For info about Chocolate Cuisine dinner: +39 0436 881630 or restaurant@cristallo.it

For info about CioccoSpa: +39 0436 881730 o transvital@cristallo.it 

 

The Cortina Winter Polo Audi Gold Cup, to be held from 20th to 27th February, is a yearly rendezvous not to be missed. The most awaited international polo tournament of the year has now reached its 21st edition, and its sponsor, the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf, will participate in the event by hosting an exclusive cocktail for the leading Cup protagonists on Thursday 25th February.

The Cortina Winter Polo will take place on the frozen lake of Misurina, at a height of 1800 metres. The spectacular frozen lake is the stage on which six international teams are to challenge each another. The breathtaking landscape encompasses the snow-clad summits of the Cristallo mountains, the Sorapis and the Lavaredo.
To enable every detail to be enjoyed to the full, a village of marquees will be set up on the lake side, comprising the exclusive Polo Restaurant and the Polo Bar, managed this year by the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf, rendering this unique appointment even more exclusive.
 

A complete novelty: other than the traditional Grande Carte menu, the new chef, Marco Badalucci, has a new menu, the Gourmet Menu, for people who enjoy strong and intense tastes. 

 

Guests will be welcomed by a broad range of dishes with different tastes. A tasty vegetable ratatouille with mustia ricotta, baby squids and Venezuelan cocoa is offered for starters, as well as a delicate squash soup with parsley and nuts from Sorrento. The first courses are thin, spaghetti-like pasta in Paduan chicken broth with mushrooms and parmesan and an original risotto with radicchio di Treviso (red Italian chicory). The main course is veal cheek with porcini mushrooms, creamed potato and a creative touch of liquorice. The dessert is a chocolate symphony with chestnuts and ginger. The finishing touch is the selection of the best Italian and foreign wines: guests will be able to choose from an updated wine list.

 

To reserve a dinner with Menu Gourmet at S. Valentine's Day, please contact the Restaurant La Veranda on +39 0436 881 630.

The Cristallo, the Court of King Arthur. On the night of 13th February, the five-star luxury hotel will change completely and turn into the Court of King Arthur for a special party with lots of surprises. Aperitif with cider and mead will be offered from 8 pm onwards in the cocktail bar transformed into a thick forest. A majestic wooden door will lead into the Court where the guests, seated at the horse-shoe table in the court of King Arthur, will enjoy a MEDIEVAL BANQUET, with the medieval delicacies prepared by Marco Badalucci, the hotel’s new chef. Excellent music (medieval, of course) will delight the feasting guests. Harps, bagpipes, flutes and a barrel organ will accompany the voices of two singers. As in all true medieval banquets, a jester will entertain the guests at the court with his juggling and acrobatic skills. No true medieval celebration could be without the most exciting event of them all - a duel between knights, with squires and a herald. After midnight,  a disco will be set up so that guests can dance until dawn.

Dress code: medieval clothes only. Guests who do not have a medieval costume can rent one in the Cristallo.

Info and reservations: barman@cristallo.it or +39 0436 881 632.

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From the afternoon of the 12th to the 21st of  February 2010, Daniele Dondè, the best known and most collected Italian artist in the world, will preview his new collection “Love e Amor” at the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Seventy masterpieces, paintings, sculptures and telesculptures, produced through action painting, in all the colours of the universe and all the languages of the world. Paintings dedicated to Love, real and figurative, written and immortal, as seen through the eyes of the artist Daniele Dondè. Brand new masterpieces of art, purposely created to give way to the art movement of “artistic” love, global and universal.
 

Free entrance.
 

A new Kind of Ski-in Hotel.

Thanks to the new exclusive SHUTTLE service, the Cristallo becomes the only hotel in the Dolomites with direct access to the ski runs. Guests will be able to reach the faloria cableway, which takes them to the Faloria-Cristallo sports complex and ski slopes, in only 4 minutes.
Less trouble, less time to get to the slopes, more fun!

Does this service have an environmental impact? No, because the shuttle car to the Ski runs is electric.

For further information: +39.0436.881111

 

The most sophisticated location for the New Year celebrations? Cortina, of course. At that time of year, the “Queen” of the Dolomites is at the height of its splendour, with its snow-clad mountains, multicoloured Christmas decorations and exceptionally elegant shops. This year’s New Year’s Eve at the Cristallo is set to be a truly glamorous experience.

Dinner will be held in the Cristallo’s La Veranda Restaurant. The menu has been completely renovated by the new executive chef, Marco Badalucci, in view of the new season. The special New Year menu constitutes an expert blend of tradition and innovation, in line with the new chef’s style, and includes exceptional dishes. Smoma will then accompany our guests for the rest of the evening with some good music. This fantastic live trio has chosen the Cristallo to launch their new album, Unconventional Glam Music. On the magical night of New Year’s Eve at the Cristallo, the alluring and powerful voice of Simona, will perform some of the best tunes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90, as well as the brand new “De Mi vida” and “The Flight”, taken from their latest album, accompanied by the jazz tones of Andy G’s trumpet and Tobia’s bass guitar.

Following Smoma’s performance, guests will be able to let their hair down at a late night party, accompanied by a DJ until the early hours of the morning, in a night to remember, full of toasts, music and entertainment. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to spend a stylish first night of the year in the unique setting of the Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf.

Per info e prenotazioni: +39.0436.881.111 – restaurant@cristallo.it

There are lots of surprises in store for the opening of the winter season at the Cristallo Palace Hotel & Spa. Hotel guests may enjoy the creation of a new chef, Marco Badalucci, originally from the Campania region of Italy, whose expertise in the preparation of national and international dishes stems from his experience in 2 and 3 star Michelin restaurants. For the new season, the Cristallo’s La Veranda restaurant will offer a variety of new, sophisticated gourmet dishes, and in particular a range of seasonal menus aimed at enhancing the flavour of the best local and international products.

Chef Badalucci’s cooking philosophy revolves around quality ingredients. To this end, his recipes and food combinations are developed so as to optimise their very characteristics, and reveal their authentic flavour. His imprint is highly Mediterranean, influenced however by the best international cuisine. The Grande Carte will be varied regularly, in line with the Chef’s innovative creations, with distinctive specialities and traditional dishes from the Ampezzo area, for exclusive evenings in the characteristic Stube.

Some examples? Venison cutlet with savoy flan and crunchy speck; turbot millefeuille with red Sicilian prawns and cream of aubergines and basil; and smoked herring and potato tortelli with dates and pine kernels in a cream of broccoli.

These refined dishes combine strong Mediterranean flavours with top quality local produce, such as vegetables, meat, hams and cheeses, to be enjoyed overlooking the breathtaking Le Tofane.

For the Winter Season 2009-2010 the Cristallo proposes several packages to have fun on the snow and to try new Winter sports, in the wonderful scenario of Cortina.

For example the “Snow & Relax” package, dedicated to Ski and Snow lovers who want to have unlimited access to ski slopes; the Snow Kite package, for the more adventurous sport lovers who wish to experience the latest trends in extreme sports. For people who love climbing, the Cristallo has created a stay dedicated to Ice Climbing, offering exciting ascents of frozen waterfalls

Choose your stay by visiting the Special Offers Area of the web site

On the 18th December the Cristallo will inaugurate the 2009-2010 winter season. To the delight of skiing fans, Cortina d’Ampezzo’s ski slopes are already open and there is lots of snow. People wanting to stay in a luxury 5-star hotel can stay at the Cristallo from the 18th December.

It is the ideal venue for those who want to concentrate on snow sports and, at the end of the day,to relax in the exclusive wellness centre or enjoy the delicious dishes prepared by the new chef of the “La Veranda” restaurant. A new magical winter is about to begin.

Once again, this year, the Cristallo Palace Hotel & Spa has been awarded a really prestigious prize. It was nominated the best Ski Resort in Italy and Europe at the 2009 World Travel Awards. This proves yet again that Cortina's five-star luxury hotel - the best ski resort in Europe and Italy – is indeed a prestigious venue. This achievement meant the “gem of Cortina” confirmed its status of leading holiday resort. After winning the "Italy’s Leading Ski Resort” competition in 2005 and 2006 (as well as “Europe’s Leading Ski Resort” competition in 2007), this year Cortina’s five-star luxury hotel received two other awards.

From 18th December 2009 to 5th April 2010, the Hotel Cristallo will be open for the Winter Season.

You will find sport and relax, thanks to the exciting ski runs and the worm welcome of both the Hotel Cristallo and the Transvital Swiss Beauty Center.
 
For further information and reservation, please contact +39.0436.881.111 or  booking@cristallo.it.

This year once more, the Dolomites Golden Cup will take place from September 3rd to 6th. During this historical commemoration, the best vintage cars will compete in a race along hairpin bends surrounded by spectacular mountain scenarios. 120 cars, all manufactured before 1961, including the flashy Lancia B24 Aurelia 2500 in sponsorship with the Cristallo Hotel, that will be competing for the trophy.

All the participants of the race will be meeting at the Cristallo Palace Hotel & Spa on the evening of September 3rd to inaugurate the event with a charming gala and a cocktail on the terrace with the spectacular view of the Tofane peaks in the background.

For further information: +39.0436.881.111.

Today there is a reason more to choose the Hotel Cristallo to escape in the extraordinary and suggestive landscapes of the Dolomites.
The 5 star luxury hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo offers its guests special Packages for the Summer Season 2009: guest staying 2 nights will receive the third for free. For Guest preferring a 5 night stay, the sixth one will be for free.

- 2 nights: third night for free
- 5 nights: sixth night for free

A reason more to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo and staying in its most glamorous Hotel. Packages valid from 30th July until 2 September (excluding 10-15 August).
For further information: +39.0436.881111 or booking@cristallo.it

The summer season has started and it is time to prepare your skin to receive to the exposure to sun. For this reason, the Cristallo Palace Hotel & Spa, offers its customers a new and exclusive treatment: The Revitalizing Experience for Face. It is a beauty and wellness ritual, based on a beneficial and revitalizing action that enhances the beauty of the face adding tone and radiance to its complexion. The innovative Transvital Massage, that is performed on the face, neck and neckline area using a special Massage Cream with oxygenating properties and a soft and creamy texture, has a regenerating and revitalizing action. The next step consists in moisturizing the deepest skin layers through the application of Hydro Intensive Mask and in then focusing on the delicate eye contour area, which is massaged with draining and gentle relaxing sweeping movements. The treatment ends with Hydra All Around Cream, Transivital's fresh cream is applied: facial features become firmer, more relaxed and radiant.
For further information please contact: +39.0436.881111.