History and Mission of the Sestieri d'Ampezzo

Introduction

What are the Sestieri d'Ampezzo? The term Sestieri indicates three different realities. First, the six districts in which the town is divided are called Sestieri. The origin of the six geographic districts is lost in memory but probably dates back to the period in which the Serenissima, as the republic of Venice was known, governed these lands; in fact, there are also six Sestieri in Venice.

Second, the Sestieri are also the six sports associations that organize Cortina's country festivals every year and that coordinate the sport activities of the resident children. The boundaries each association deals with correspond to the geographical ones and will be explained later in the article.

Finally, the Sestieri d'Ampezzo defines the association of volunteers from all six districts that takes care of organizing events, such as the Run of the Sestieri, the football tournament, or the folkloristic wagons. They coordinate all the volunteers from the different districts for the realization and participation in the activities of the town. Let's see them now in detail.

Historical Notes

As already mentioned above, the subdivision of the town into six districts, also known as Sestieri, happened around the 15th century. Before this date, the country was divided into decenas, family groups of about ten families.

At that time, Cortina was under the control of the Venetian Republic, which was divided into six districts. It's commonly assumed that Cortina divided itself into six districts to emulate or praise its capital city, Venice.

In this article, we want to write about the modern role of the Sestieri. If you want to read about the history of the Sestieri in ancient times, we invite you to read the page we wrote about the history of Cortina, which can be found 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.

The Association Sestieri d'Ampezzo

In 1918, Austria lost the First World War and had to cede the territory of Cortina to the Kingdom of Italy. As a result, the Sestieri lost a lot of their administrative identity. The well-known orthopedist Sanzio Vacchelli, who at the time was in charge of the office for tourism and local promotion, decided to try to give a new luster to the Sestieri.

On February 23, 1936, he organized the first edition of Ra Corsa dei Seštiére, a cross-country skiing race where athletes from the different districts challenged each other. At the end of the race, there was a parade of folkloristic wagons. Over time, the winter palio was supplemented by many other activities, such as the summer palio, the soccer tournament, the food and beverage service at the Ski World Cup, and the forest cleanup.

There were a lot of activities that had to be organized, in addition to the requirement of volunteers to realize them. In order to coordinate the six different Sestieri, they joined the Sestieri d'Ampezzo.

It is a gathering that includes the six presidents of each Sestiere, plus a seventh president of the Sestieri, whose main function is the organization of all the common activities, as well as acting as an institutional figure and spokesperson for the other associations and the municipal administration. By statute, the purpose of the Sestieri d'Ampezzo is:

• The promotion and enhancement of local folklore in harmony with its constituent traditions.
• The spread and enhancement of summer and winter sports that are related to the traditions themselves.
• The organization of all those cultural, local, and social events that have always characterized this fellowship.

In addition to all this, the Association of the Sestieri d'Ampezzo creates an important link between the people of Cortina and their own town, as well as being essential for the integration of the people who move to live here into community life, thanks to the many volunteer activities they help organize.

Sports Associations

As already mentioned previously, one of the original purposes of the Sestieri was to organize local sports competitions, which were played by athletes who had to be actual residents of the Sestiere they represented.

Disputes and discussions on this subject are well rooted in the memory of the village, with countless residency verifications, controversies, and complaints. Emblematic is the story of a house built on the border, created from a small buried stream. After years of discussion, it's still half in one Sestiere and half in another.

Over the years, this competitiveness led to the formation of tight-knit groups, which took on more and more identity. In order to earn something and recruit as many athletes and volunteers as possible, each Sestiere invented increasingly ingenious systems. The most successful were the country festivals.

These were meeting places where volunteers cooked and sold local foods, drinks, and beers. This increased even more the bonding of those groups of people who were working, drinking, and having fun together. In this way, each Sestiere was able to make a small cash fund with which they could pay for sports training for the kids who could be trained without expense from their families.

Younglings would be new participants in sports competitions, bonding with their peers, and, growing up, would volunteer for village festivals. Over the years, these activities became more and more structured, until the modern village festivals, which we extensively describe in the article below:

The Feste Campestri The village festivals of Cortina: a loved summer tradition where eat and have fun together. Reading time: 9 min.

The Sport Events

Below, we'll see how the main sporting events and other ancillary competitive activities organized by the Sestieri d'Ampezzo take place.

The Summer Run of the Sestieri, also known as Ra Corsa dei Seštiére, is a relay running race. It takes place on the first Sunday of July, during the town fair. The path is in the streets of the center of Cortina and ends in Corso Italia, under the bell tower. The final time is given from the sum of all the individual times of the relay participants. The men's race is run by four athletes, each running fifteen hundred meters, or a mile. The women's race is run by three athletes, each covering one thousand two hundred meters, or three-quarters of a mile. The minipalio is a mixed relay dedicated to children, where three athletes cover six hundred meters, or a third of a mile, each. The men's run has been held since 1949, the women's version since 1981, and the kids' one since 1985.

The stump cutting also takes place during the town fair. It is a game in which the six districts challenge each other, in pairs, to cut a tree trunk using a sión, the dialectal name of a large lumberjack saw, built to be used by two people. In a game, each district performs two cuts, the first on one side of the trunk and the second on the other. The ranking is determined by the sum of the two times. Each Sestiere has its own sión, which is jealously preserved for the event. If a Sestiere abandons the cut or does not complete it along its entire length, it is automatically eliminated. The stump cutting has been disputed since 1982.

The last game that cheers up the July town fair is the tug of war. It is the classic game of strength; the teams are made up of five people. Although it is a very simple game, the choice of side is not totally fair, as the part where there are the shops is slightly uphill. For this reason, the side is drawn by lot with a coin toss. The tug of war has been held since 1982.

The Winter Race of the Sestieri is a cross-country relay race in free technique. It is usually held at the ski center in the locality of Fiames. It takes place in the carnival week, on a day that varies based on organizational needs. In less snowy years, it's moved to the track in the Tre Croci pass. It's a relay race. Each member runs along the same route, and the time is given by the sum of the individual times. The men's palio is run by three athletes over a route of five kilometers, or three miles, each. The women's race is done by two athletes over a route of two and a half kilometers, or one mile and a half, each. The minipalio is a mixed relay dedicated to children, where three athletes cover five hundred meters, or a third of a mile, each. The cross-country race is also called Ra Corsa dei Seštiére, the same name as the summer running race. The men's version has been held since 1936, the women's since 1981, and the kids' one since 1985.

The Sestieri d'Ampezzo football tournament is played on the football field in the locality of Zuel, usually from the beginning of July to mid-August. The tournament has taken place since 1971 and is one of the oldest in Italy. During the event, the teams from the districts compete in a single round, and a ranking is drawn up based on the points accumulated. Throughout the tournament, there is a refreshment service for athletes and supporters provided by volunteers from the different districts.

If you want to be updated on the activities of the Sestieri, we recommend you follow the Facebook page of the Sestieri or the Instagram page of the Sestieri.

Geographical Sestieri

The boundary between the different Sestieri is usually demarcated by waterways. Over the years, some of them have been moved underground for urban reasons. Below you can see a beautiful map of the original boundaries of the different Sestieri.

On the map above, you can clearly see the different areas into which the town was divided. Let's see what the various colors represent:

In green there is Alverà, the district in the east area of Cortina. It includes the fraction of Alverà, as well as the areas of Pecol, Pralongo, Staulin, Grava di Sopra, and Grava di Sotto. The flag of Alverà is a fir tree on a white and blue field above a green hill.

In red there is Azon, the district on the western side. It includes the fractions of Crignes, Val di Sotto, Val di Sopra, Gilardon, Lacedel, Meleres, and Mortisa. The flag of Azon is a black bird on a white field; it is a crow, which has also become the mascot of the district.

In pink there is Cadin, the district in the northwest area of Cortina. Includes all the fractions of Ronco, Cadelverzo, Cadin di Sopra, and Cadin di Sotto. The historical flag of Cadin is two basins on a quadripartite white, green, and black field.

In yellow ochre there is Chiave, the district in the northeast area of Cortina. It includes the fractions Verocai, Majon, Chiamulera, Chiave, La Vera, and Codivilla. The flag of Chiave is two keys on a red and white field.

In blue there is Cortina, the district of the center. It includes the central areas of the town, from Corso Italia to Cianderies, up to the end of Guide Alpine Road, and it's the only district entirely enclosed within the town's boundaries. The Cortina flag is three trees on a yellow field.

In light yellow there is Zuel, the district in the southern area of the town. It includes the fractions of Cojana, Riva, Salieto, Campo, Manaigo, Peziè, the homonymous Zuel, and Pian da Lago. The Zuel flag represents two towers on a blue field above a green hill.

Thanks to

The writing of this page was also possible thanks to the books Storia di Cortina d'Ampezzo by Mario Ferruccio Belli and Sestieri d'Ampezzo rievocano... of Alfredo Spampani and Dino Colli d'Antogna, as well as the help of the Sestieri d'Ampezzo, which provide part of the photographs on this page.

Conclusion

We hope you liked this page on what the Sestieri d'Ampezzo are. Before saying goodbye, we would suggest you read our home page, with all the articles we wrote about Cortina d'Ampezzo.

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