San Vito di Cadore is a quiet mountain village tucked into the Dolomites at the head of the Boite valley, just 10 km south of Cortina d'Ampezzo. It sits at around 1,010 metres, surrounded by the jagged limestone peaks that define the eastern Dolomites, and draws visitors primarily as a base for skiing and hiking in one of the most dramatic mountain landscapes in Europe.
The village itself is small and unhurried — a welcome contrast to the glamour and crowds of Cortina. The ski area is practically on the doorstep: the slopes of San Vito connect into the vast Superski Dolomiti network in the Cortina zone, giving access to 50 lifts, 160 km of downhill runs, and a further 130 km of Nordic tracks. A public ski bus connects the village to the slopes of both Cortina and San Vito.
Two great peaks dominate the landscape immediately above the village. Monte Antelao, at 3,264 metres the highest summit in the eastern Dolomites, looms to the southeast — the "King of Cadore." The Sorapiss massif to the north holds one of the most remarkable alpine lakes in Italy, its water an intense mineral turquoise from glacial flour in suspension. Monte Pelmo, to the southwest, was the first major Dolomite peak ever climbed and remains one of the most distinctive shapes in the range.
The surrounding valley offers more beyond the snow and the peaks. Cibiana di Cadore, 12 km south, is a village covered in outdoor murals depicting Cadore life across four decades. The adjacent comune of Borca di Cadore contains the extraordinary Villaggio Eni, a mid-century modernist holiday complex designed by Edoardo Gellner with a Carlo Scarpa church at its centre — a utopian project now half-reclaimed by forest, and one of the most unusual architectural sites in the Alps.