Walk in Cortina: To Lake Pianozes From Zuel district

Introduction

Let's discover together the Loop of "Pianozes," a relaxing walk in the forest in the district of "Zuel." Halfway, we'll walk around Lake "Pianozes," a gem surrounded by greenery. From here, we'll reach the meadows of "Campo," in front of an amazing panorama of Mount "Faloria" and Mount "Antelao."

The hike of the Loop of "Pianozes" can be found on the Tabacco Map 003 - "Cortina d'Ampezzo Dolomiti Ampezzane," along Path 449. Alternatively, you can see our route on Google Maps by clicking here.

This walk is suitable for everyone, but you should have a minimum of training because the length is around six kilometers, almost four miles.

Path of the Walk

The walk of the loop of "Pianozes," as the name suggests, is a loop walk, so you can start at any point of the path. As we thought about this walk for you, the starting point is the football field of "Zuel," which is located in the landing area of the Olympic Ski Jumping Tower.

There you will find some lesser-known parking lots, which will very likely be free. If you are unsure how to reach the football field, we will provide a detailed description in the chapter "How to Get There." Alternatively, clicking on the name will open the location on Google Maps.

From the football field, take the road downhill towards "Pian da Lago," which is the industrial area of the town, home of many local businesses and some services. Most of Cortina's artisan workshops are located here.

Once you've passed the barrier that blocks the passage of cars, keep right and take the gravel road, which runs alongside the buildings, for about five hundred meters, or sixteen hundred feet.

When you reach the crossroad, near the last industrial building, turn right, towards the locality of "Socol." Here you'll see the temporary village for workers to build the 2026 Olympics facilities. This area will later be converted to housing.

Continue along the gravel road. When you reach the lumberyard, keep to the left, then turn right, and head towards the bridge over the "Boite" stream. It might seem complicated, but it's the only reasonable path to take; it's nearly impossible to go the wrong way.

For now the walk has not been very naturalistic nor scenic, but don't worry, after crossing the bridge, the atmosphere will change completely.

After crossing the stream, take the road to the right, but the one climbing up; keep following the wooden sign that indicates Path 449 towards "Lago de Pianòzes," which means "Pianozes Lake." If you can read Italian, it might seem like a typo; it's written correctly, but it's in the "Ampezzo" dialect.

Now you have to face a short climb, which ends at a scenic point from which it is possible to see Mount "Tofane" and the "Boite" stream.

Continue along the main road for about twenty minutes, always following the most traveled path, avoiding the smaller paths into the woods that deviate from the most-walked path.

After a simple climb and an easy descent, you will cross a wooden bridge. On your left after the bridge you'll see some benches with a peculiar wooden column that contains some books and some benches.

This relaxation area has been installed by the "Regole d'Ampezzo" and consists of a picnic area with a library. It is called "Librasción"; here you may read a book immersed in nature or take one, following the philosophy of BookCrossing.

Let's go back to our walking; first there'll be a gentle climb, then it will proceed flat. After ten minutes you'll reach the suggestive Lake "Pianozes." Once here, we recommend turning left, taking a walk all around the lake, and maybe relax on the banks of the lake, or you can simply continue straight towards the restaurant.

Restaurant "Pianozes" is quite prestigious, so don't expect wallet-friendly prices. On the shore opposite the restaurant you can have an ice cream, drink something, or eat a sandwich at the "Bar del bon azèto," which is the kiosk opened during the peak two months of the summer.

To proceed with the walk, head towards the restaurant and proceed past it for a hundred meters, three hundred feet, along the gravel road until you reach the asphalt road. From here, descend in the direction of the district called "Campo di Sotto."

Once you reach the end of the descent, turn right. When you reach the intersection with the electric tower, turn right again, and take the asphalt road in the direction of "Zuel." You will enjoy a beautiful panorama of Mount "Faloria" and the vast meadows of "Campo."

Keep following the asphalt road; a little after you cross the bridge over the "Boite" stream the last climb awaits you before reaching the district of "Zuel."

Once at the top of the climb, you could consider taking a close look at the feet of the Olympic Ski Jumping Tower, vestiges of the 1956 Cortina Olympics. If you choose to reach it, turn right and continue along the uphill road, the one that enters the woods.

The duration of this optional detour would be around twenty minutes, adding the time to look at the ski jumping tower and the beautiful panorama on the side of the jump. Currently the area is a bit neglected, but renovations are planned.

To return to the soccer field, the starting point of our version of the Loop of "Pianozes," you must go reach the locality of "Zuel", and turn right along the bike/pedestrian path in the direction of Calalzo. This is the exact location of the intersection, or you can use the photo below as reference.

After about two hundred meters, or six hundred and fifty feet, you'll cross a road, turn right, and walk downhill. If you fear taking the wrong road, don't worry too much; all the roads that go downhill lead to the football field. There are at least four different ways to get there. You can use the photo below as a reference again.

Using the ski jump tower as a reference, it's practically impossible to choose the wrong way; the football field you are aiming for, in fact, is right below, as it is built on what was the landing of those who made the jump.

Curiosities

This walk follows the path of a historical running race called "El Siro de Pianozes," that has taken place for more than forty years; it will allow you to get to know some of Cortina's most strategic places: the lake, the "Librascion" relaxation area, and "Pian da Lago."

Lake "Pianozes" has been created artificially for tourism purposes. In 2019 the "Regole" of Ampezzo, the owner of the area, improved the access road and expanded the restaurant. The shores of the lake have been made accessible to people with disabilities, and the peninsula where the kiosk is located has been enlarged.

The "Librasción" is a project born from the collaboration between the students of the Artistic High School of Cortina, the "Regole d'Ampezzo," and the "Ulda," the Union of the Ampezzo Ladins. It's a free "bookstore" in the woods, where you can read a book immersed in nature. The concept is the same as BookCrossing, where you can take a book for free, or you can add one to the collection. The name of the project derives from the words "Libro," "book" in Italian, and "Brasción," "tree" in the local dialect.

Cortina was also very important during the fascist period. The Italian monarchs, as well as Mussolini's daughter, Edda, came here as guests. In the locality of "Campo," in 1934, a summer camp for the sons of soldiers that were fighting abroad was built. Here is a video of "Campo Mussolini" on YouTube.

If you want to make your walk longer and more demanding, once you arrive at Lake "Pianozes," you may also go to see Lake "Ajal." We describe this hike, which will take you about two hours, on the page below:

From Pianozes to Lake Ajal A short but intense hike to see two beautiful alpine lakes: Lake Pianozes and Lake Ajal. 2h 00' - 4.5 km - Intermediate

How to Get There

"Zuel," the starting point of our walk, can be reached in different ways. If you want to take the car, you should park near the "Zuel" football field. This is a free parking lot that usually has available space, even in peak season, as it's not close to any point of tourist interest. The ride time from the center of Cortina is approximately ten minutes.

If you want to take the bus, you can take the urban line bus n°2 at Roma Square and get off at the bus stop at "Zuel"; from here, go down towards the center of "Zuel," heading towards the Ski Jumping Tower. We have described the piece of road that goes down towards the football field in the final part of the path of the walk.

For more information and to purchase tickets, you should contact the ticket office, which is located in the same office as the Tourist Information Center. It may be closed during lunch.

From the center of Cortina, you can also walk in order to reach the Loop of "Pianozes." You have to take the gravel road known as "Ex Polveriera" to reach "Campo di Sotto"; from there you can walk towards "Zuel."

The walk will take you, in total, around three hours, with a length of around twelve kilometers, a little more than seven miles. If you want a deep description, you can read our page on the walk that, from the center of Cortina, leads to Lake "Pianozes." You can find it below:

Walk to Lake Pianozes A walk from the center of Cortina to Lake Pianozes, along a road surrounded by green. 1h 45' - 6.5 km - Easy

Finally, you could consider taking a taxi to "Zuel." The cost should be, approximately, €15, but consider that prices could vary greatly, both for the type of vehicle and the number of people, so you should always ask for a quote. Taxis can be found both in Roma Square and at the bus station, or you can visit the official taxi website.

For any doubts you may have, you can consult the Tourist Information office in the center of Cortina.

Useful information

The Loop of "Pianozes" can be done at any time of the year, even in winter, but the snow on the road is not regularly packed by snowcat nor snowmobile. In case of snow, it is highly recommended to have snow crampons to attach to your shoes to avoid slipping on the ice. You should also have experience walking on the snow.

During the spring the thaw could make the ground a little muddy, and in some places you may find ice. In this case, it is better to be careful not to slip. Unfortunately every season is different, and it's impossible to know in advance when the snow will come or melt.

Even if this is not a difficult walk, when you go hiking, you should always use comfortable shoes and bring a backpack with some water, a snack, and a rain jacket. If you are not used to mountain hikes, before venturing, we recommend you read the page below:

Safety tips for hikers Tips for safely going hiking in the mountains and preparing your backpack with all you need. Reading time: 8 min.

We want to emphasize that, in the territory of the Dolomites, there are rules to be followed. The main ones are:

• It is strictly forbidden to light fires.
• It is strictly forbidden to pick plants and flowers.
• Free camping is prohibited.
• It is prohibited to abandon garbage.
• It is mandatory to keep pets on a leash.

Always be responsible, and when in doubt, stop. CiaoCortina cannot be held responsible for any damage to things or people, variations, wrong paths, errors, or inconveniences that may occur along the route.

Conclusion

We hope you liked this page on the walk of the Loop of "Pianozes." Before saying goodbye, we would like to mention that you can find other amazing hikes in Cortina and its surroundings by clicking here.

If you want to thank us, you can read the page Support Us. If you only want to suggest a change, propose something, or just say hello, in the section Contacts and Info, you'll find all the ways to reach us.