Ski Civetta – Cortina ski connection: where the project stands (October 2026)
The project, for which €33.5 million were earmarked in the Government–Veneto Region cohesion agreement, is to be included in the new regional Snow Plan.
The area involved is Selva di Cadore – Monte Fertazza, in the Val Fiorentina ski area.
October 2026 update: where the ski connection stands
The project is moving forward, but it has not been approved yet. At the end of September 2026 the Veneto Region extended the socio-economic study on the link between Ski Civetta and the Cinque Torri: the planned interviews go from 15-20 to 38, including environmental associations, at an additional cost of €12,200.
Estimated cost: €31.5 million in two lots (€14 million for the first, €17.5 million for the second), which can be funded with FSC 2021-2027 funds.
Route: from Cima Fertazza, above Selva di Cadore, to the Cinque Torri via Passo Giau. The feasibility study, completed in 2023, received technical approval in December 2025.
Next steps: the amendment to the Regional Snow Plan must pass the Strategic Environmental Assessment (VAS) and the Appropriate Assessment (VINCA), because the route touches the Natura 2000 site Monte Pelmo-Mondeval-Formin. The lift route may still change.
Sources (in Italian): Corriere delle Alpi, 29 September 2026; Sherpa, 10 October 2026.
A new official step towards the Civetta – Cinque Torri – Cortina ski connection
The Veneto Region has taken another formal step on the path that could one day lead to a ski connection between Ski Civetta and Cortina d'Ampezzo. With a decree of 2 December 2025, the Region appointed a specialised company (T.E.R.R.A. Srl) to handle all the environmental work needed to assess including the project in the Regional Snow Plan.
In practice, this means starting the Strategic Environmental Assessment (VAS) and the Appropriate Assessment (VINCA) for the Snow Plan amendment that should include the new lift linking Civetta and the Cinque Torri. It is a mandatory step, because the proposed route crosses very sensitive natural areas, including Natura 2000 sites.
The assignment includes site visits, surveys, environmental analyses, possible mitigation proposals and even a review of the route, if needed, to reduce the impact. It is worth €106,750 in total, funded with FSC 2021–2027 funds already allocated to the Region.
This is not yet the approval of the project, nor the start of works, but it is a key technical step: it allows the Region to assess, officially and with documentation, whether the connection can be compatible with the environmental constraints of the area. Only after this phase will it be clear whether and how the project can go ahead.
One more piece of the puzzle we have been following for years: slow and complex, but now more and more structured and marked by formal acts.
The Region's previous Snow Plan expired at the end of 2023, and the new plan provides for new slopes and lifts. One of them attracts particular attention: it concerns the ski areas near Cortina and, at the time, it was hoped it could be completed in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics. That did not happen: the project is still under study.
It was funded by the Government with a budget of €33.5 million and concerns the connection between the Civetta area (Selva di Cadore in particular) and Monte Giau.
Federico Caner, then regional councillor for tourism and cable transport, explained that the revision of the Snow Plan would not change this project, which would be subject to constraints and rules to ensure environmental sustainability.
The aim is to reduce car use in mountain areas, promoting alternative connections by less polluting lifts that can be used all year round.
The Civetta–Giau project was then at the feasibility study stage but, since it was already funded, the next steps could be taken. The €33.5 million are earmarked for connecting the Civetta Ski Area with the Cinque Torri Ski Area and for building reservoirs for snowmaking. It is a "high-level" system for moving between the peaks, including access to the Marmolada and Trentino.
However, the opposition expressed concern, believing that the project interferes with protected Natura 2000 sites. Councillors of the Democratic Party (PD) announced a formal question on the matter, pointing out that in the old plan this infrastructure had been considered incompatible because of risks to the environment and wildlife.
Caner replied that the current project does not carry the risks identified in the previous plan, rejected two years earlier. He stated that the Civetta–Giau connection has less restrictive constraints than the earlier idea, ruling out a route via Arabba and Monte Cherz.
Others, however, accuse the Region and investors of favouring only tourism and the ski industry at the expense of the ecosystem.
Caner asked whether connections should be given up, to the detriment of depopulating mountain areas, and stressed that the lift from Selva di Cadore to the Giau has no ski run: it is a "transfer" lift designed to carry people to the top, not to ski down a slope. He considered the controversy groundless.
History of the project: from the Grande Carosello to today
The idea of linking Cortina, the Civetta and Arabba by ski lifts was born long before the Olympics. Here are the main milestones.
The "Dolomiti no car" project: the Veneto Region and a group of lift operators led by Mario Vascellari proposed a large Cortina–Civetta–Arabba ski carousel worth €64 million, with 6 or 7 new lifts, to move from one valley to another without a car.
Doubts in Val Fiorentina: Val Fiorentina spa, which runs the lifts of Selva di Cadore, stayed out of the project company because of unclear costs, on an investment of about €100 million, and because of the environmental constraints between Falzarego and Arabba.
November 2019: the President of the Region, Luca Zaia, confirmed that the connection "will be built", with €80 million of public and private funds.
Government–Veneto Region cohesion agreement: signed in Verona, it allocates €33.5 million to the connection between Ski Civetta and the Cinque Torri and to snowmaking reservoirs.
14 December 2024, Alleghe: at the 50th anniversary of Dolomiti Superski, regional councillor Federico Caner presented the project to the Minister of Tourism; the estimated cost was then about €80 million.
December 2025 and September 2026: the Region started the environmental assessments and extended the socio-economic study, as explained above.
Compared with the original Grande Carosello, today's project is smaller: no route via Arabba and Monte Cherz, only the connection between the Civetta and the Cinque Torri.
Skiing in Ski Civetta from Hotel Ca' del Bosco
Today there is no ski connection between Ski Civetta and Cortina: to ski in Cortina you drive about 30 km (around 45 minutes) over Passo Giau or Passo Falzarego. The Ski Civetta lifts are 1 km from our hotel in Selva di Cadore. Read why skiers choose Hotel Ca' del Bosco as their Ski Civetta hotel, check our guide on what to bring skiing in Ski Civetta and request a quote for your winter stay.
Comments