Keen skiers may have considered investing in a property in Italy to use as a base to spend their winters on the piste, but popular sports resorts such as the Cortina mountains are also worth visiting at other points in the year, it has been claimed.

Marianne Moretti, project manager at Cortina Turismo, described the area during the summer as the "perfect storm" in terms of summer visits – as it offers exceptional facilities for climbing, hiking and biking, along with a host of events.

"Add to that great shopping, gourmet food and lots of sunshine – eight [out] of ten days – and you have the perfect recipe for a mountain experience that will take you a million miles away from Monday," she explained.

Furthermore, Cortina is known for its exceptional food and wine and has many eateries to choose from, whatever cuisine a person wishes to sample.

As Cortina also offers a host of winter sports facilities, it could be the perfect place in which to buy a holiday property in Italy.

And those who take such a step now could have their own home from which to enjoy this summer’s folk festival – the Sagra D’Ampezzo Summer Fete – along with Cortina Bike Day.

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