Emergencies in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Good to Know

• 112 is the single number to remember for any emergency in Cortina (police, fire, ambulance) and works even without a SIM card or credit.
• For hiking, climbing, or skiing incidents in the Dolomites around Cortina, both 112 and 118 reach mountain rescue — locals and rescue organizations list 118 as the specific line tied into Alpine rescue coordination.
• The 'Where ARE U' app is worth installing before heading into the mountains: it sends precise GPS coordinates automatically, which is especially valuable given patchy phone signal on trails and via ferrata routes.
• Mountain/helicopter rescue in the Dolomites is not always free — costs can be charged if not covered by national health service or supplementary rescue insurance, so carrying appropriate insurance (e.g. an Alpine Club membership with rescue cover) is commonly recommended locally.
• 911 does not work in Italy — always use 112.
• Cortina's hospital emergency care is currently a 24/7 first-aid/urgent-care point (Punto di Primo Intervento) at the Putti Pavilion rather than a full trauma-center emergency department — this is a temporary arrangement while the main Codivilla building is renovated for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
• For serious trauma beyond what the local facility can handle, patients are typically stabilized in Cortina and then transported (often by the hospital's heliport) to a larger hospital with a full emergency department, such as those in Belluno, Pieve di Cadore, or Treviso.
• For any life-threatening emergency, call 112 (or 118 for the ambulance/medical emergency service specifically) rather than going straight to the hospital.
• The hospital is privately run (GVM Care & Research group) but is accredited with Italy's national health service (SSN), so EU health-card (EHIC) and standard Italian public healthcare coverage typically apply to emergency treatment — but always confirm billing/insurance coverage on-site given its private-hospital status.