Cortina d'Ampezzo, commonly referred to as Cortina, is a town and comune in the heart of the southern Alps in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its skiing trails, scenery, accommodation, shops and après-ski scene, and for its jet set and aristocratic European crowd. In the Middle Ages, Ampezzo fell under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia, and of the Holy Roman Empire.