Αssociated Press reports from Cortina in Italy that the granite peaks that majestically encircle the northern Italian town of Cortina d’Ampezzo glimmer with one of the most prolific snowfalls in years, a cruel joke of nature while the COVID-19 pandemic silences Italy’s winter resorts.
Cortina will flash across TV sports channels for two weeks this month like the past and future Olympic host city holds the 2021 World Ski Championships, sending downhill skiers flying down precipitous slopes. But the event will occupy just a fraction of the available hotel rooms, and it is unlikely to bring much business to the town’s luxury boutiques. No spectators are allowed.
In fact, the spasm of activity looks to be a mere flicker in a ski season that seems destined to never take off, as the Italian government delays reopening lifts to leisure skiers. The world championships will provide good optics in view of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, but scant economic relief for local businesses and workers who live off the winter sports economy, which has been shut down for nearly a year.
Read the full report at thenationalherald.com
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