Hike in Cortina: The Former Podestagno Castle

Introduction

Let's discover together this walk to the ruins of the "Podestagno" Castle, an ancient fortress that overlooked Cortina. Unfortunately, little more than the foundations remain of the castle, but from here you'll also get a breathtaking view of the valley below.

This place has two names, both correct: "Botestagno" and "Podestagno," which come respectively from its original Italian and Austrian names.

You can find this easy hike to the "Podestagno" Castle on the Tabacco Map 003 - "Cortina d'Ampezzo Dolomiti Ampezzane," along Path 201. Alternatively, you can see our route on Google Maps by clicking here.

This is a really simple and short walk that lasts for around forty minutes, so we'll also describe a deviation to see the locality of "Ospitale," where there are both the oldest little church in Cortina and one of the oldest inns in all of Italy.

Path of the Hike

This hike starts at the "Sant'Uberto" parking area, also known by many as "tornichè." If you are unsure of how to reach it, we'll describe it in depth down on the page in the chapter "How to Get There." Alternatively, clicking on the name will open the location on Google Maps.

Once you reach the parking area, you have to find the path that will lead you to the roadman's house. The best thing to do, in order to avoid errors, is to walk back in the direction of the state road and take the intersection to the left, right at the end of the parking area, near the state road.

You have to take the dirt road blocked by a bar to block vehicles passing. The path will be the less walked, as most people from here will go towards "Malga Ra Stua," in the opposite direction. The road is signed as a historical itinerary, which is written as "Rocca di Podestagno, itinerario storico" in Italian, or you can use the photo below as a reference.

Once you've crossed the bar, keep walking uphill for a few minutes along the state road in the direction of "Dobbiaco (Toblach)." After a few minutes you'll pass a small cement bridge over a small stream with a waterfall.

Once you cross the bridge, keep walking uphill for about ten minutes until you see an old roadman's house, almost completely hidden behind the trees.

The roadman's house is a red building, to be accurate, Pompeian red. In Italian, it is called "casa cantoniera"; it has this name because, in the past, it was used by the "cantonieri," who are the workers in charge of road maintenance.

Now you have to cross the state road; to do it in complete safety, an underpassage has been built, which is also used by deer and other animals of the forest.

After you've passed the underpass on the road, you'll see a sign for the "Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo," which means "Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites." Here you can read some information about the place you are visiting.

From there you'll have to take the road to the right, as clearly indicated by the abundant signposting.

You will need only a few minutes to cross the meadow of the "Cason de Podestagno." It is the name of the small, private, wood chalet that you can see in the middle of the meadow.

At the next cross, take th road to the right, the one slightly uphill. Pay attention and don't take the wrong directions, which would bring you to the walk of the former railway.

From here, you'll only need a very small effort to climb the last ascent that separates you from the ruins of the fortress. You can take any of the different paths, all of them will get you to the ruins of the "Rocca di Botestagno."

The area of the ruins of the "Castello di Podestagno" has recently been enhanced by installing information boards about the history of the location, unearthing new remains, and installing wooden railings for the safety of visitors.

As mentioned earlier, from here, you can enjoy a splendid view of the entire "Ampezzo" valley. The reason why, in ancient times, it was decided to build an outpost at this location was that it allowed the soldiers to spot the arrival of enemy armies from a great distance.

Once you have completed your visit to the ruins of the "Botestagno" fortress, you could walk the same route back to your car, but considering how short and easy this walk has been, you may consider an easy detour before the way back.

When returning, you'll get again to the sign of the Dolomites Natural Park; instead of turning left and crossing the underpass, you may continue straight along the gravel road, following the direction towards the localities of "Cimabanche" and "Ospitale."

Keep walking in the woods for around fifteen minutes, until the descent becomes steeper and the road crosses the road of the former railway. Here turn left, and keep following the sign towards "Cimabanche" and "Ospitale."

Proceed along the former railway for about twenty minutes, until you see the former toll booth, a building that, sadly, is clearly neglected.

Now you are extremely close to our destination, the "Ristorante Rifugio Ospitale." To reach it, you could take the road to the left, but we suggest you keep walking about a hundred meters, or three hundred feet, and take the second path, always to the left. It's steep, although very short, but it will allow you to avoid walking this final stretch on the side of the state road.

You can eat or drink at one of Italy's oldest inns, which has been open since the 11th century. You may also visit the beautiful little church from 1226, the oldest in Cortina. The detour will be along the same road and should take you about half an hour.

The only thing you need to pay attention to, on the way back, is to remember to take again the road in the woods towards "Podestagno" at the crossroad. If you'd forget it, you'd notice it soon, as you'll see a tunnel that you've never seen before.

In this case, just go back a few minutes and take the road to "Podestagno," which is anyway perfectly signposted.

Curiosities

The more observant of you may have noticed that, sometimes, we named it the "Podestagno" Castle, other times "Botestagno." This is not a typo: the name comes from "Boitestein," which means rock in the "Boite" stream, but in ancient Austrian German it was known as "Peutelstein." Over time, the two definitions have probably been confused into two different names: "Podestagno" and "Botestagno." To date, both forms are correct, although we have always heard it called "Podestagno" Castle by practically everyone.

A thing that most ignore is that Gregorio Vecellio, father of the famous painter Titian, was the regent of the Fortress of "Podestagno" in the late 1400s. He was also superintendent of the castle of "Pieve di Cadore," as well as counselor and captain of the militia for Venice. His was a very powerful family in "Cadore," and, at that time, "Ampezzo" was under its jurisdiction.

The underpass you crossed has not been built for the passage of people but to allow deer to pass under the state road without risking being run over. These animals tend to follow the same paths, and here there's a high passage.

In the Ethnographic Museum of the Regole d'Ampezzo there is a scale reproduction of the fortress of Podestagno before it was destroyed. Above, you can see a photo of the scale model, but to learn more about the museum, we suggest you read our page below:

The Museums of the Regole Three interesting museums: an art gallery, an ethnographic museum, and a fossil collection. Reading time: 6 min.

The fortress of "Podestagno" was an ancient outpost that stood in defense of Cortina since the eighth century. It became crucial following the conquest of the territory by Venice and, later, by the Habsburg Empire. If you are interested in the past of Cortina and the fortress of Podestagno, you may read our article; you can read it below:

History of Cortina A brief history of the town of Cortina, from Mondeval man to the present day, with highlights. Reading time: 14 min.

Since its construction, the small church of "Ospitale" has been dedicated to Saint Nicholas, venerated locally as a protector of travelers. Despite its remote location, this little church is really important to the Ampezzo community. Every year, on the first Thursday following Pentecost, there is a procession from the roadman's house we've seen midway on this walk to "Ospitale." There takes place the traditional blessing of the pastures.

How to Get There

The "Sant'Uberto" parking area, also known as "tornichè," is the starting point of this walk. It is a gravel parking lot where it's possible to park for free in the low season and with an €8 daily fee in the peak season. In the most crowded months you should get there as early in the morning as you can to improve the chances of finding a free space. From the center of Cortina you'll need to drive approximately twenty minutes to get there, following the direction towards "Dobbiaco (Toblach)."

If you can't find a free place for your car, or you don't want to pay for parking, or you need to get as close as possible to the "Podestagno" Castle ruins, you will need to proceed along the road in the direction of "Dobbiaco (Toblach)." You may try to park in one of the few lay-bys along the road, or you may proceed further until the roadman's house of "Podestagno" and park in the small parking area in front of the house.

Alternatively, you can also consider taking the bus n°445 in the direction of "Dobbiaco (Toblach)," getting off at the bus stop at the roadman's house. Unfortunately there are not many buses, approximately one every two hours. 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.

If you want to make this walk more challenging, you may get there walking from the town center. Along the road known as the former railway, you can reach "Sant'Uberto" in about two and a half hours. In Italian we call it "Ex Ferrovia."

We have described this pleasant walk on a specific page, which you can visit by clicking below:

The former railway The most famous walk in Cortina. It is simple, for everyone, and accessible all year round. 2h 30' - 9 km - Easy

Finally, you could take a taxi. From Cortina to the "Sant'Uberto" parking area, the cost should be approximately €35. Considering that prices could vary a lot, both for the type of vehicle and the number of people, 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.

If you need any information, there is a tourist information office. It is located in the town center, near the church.

Useful information

The hike to Podestagno Castle is only practicable in the summertime. In winter the route is not beaten, and it is traversed by a popular cross-country ski trail. Usually the best months for this walk are between May and November. This is an approximate estimate, but unfortunately it is not possible to know in advance how much it will snow and when the snow will melt.

Even though this hike is really simple, you should always use sturdy shoes and carry a backpack with some water, a snack, and a jacket for the rain. If you want more information, we recommend you read our tips for first-time hikers:

Safety tips for hikers Tips for safely going hiking in the mountains and prepare 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 hike from "Sant'Uberto" to the ruins of the fortress of "Podestagno," also known as "Botestagno." 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.