Funivia Faloria

The cabin lifts off from the edge of Cortina and climbs the rock wall on the east side of the valley, and the peaks ringing the town open out behind it as it goes. The top station holds a bar and a canteen-style bistro, stocked well enough that lunch up there is worth building the day around. In winter the summit is the head of a set of ski runs, worked by lifts that look every bit as old as they are. In summer the ground does the work: three minutes' walk above the station the slope flattens into grass, and people carry mats up and eat there in the breeze.

• Crowds: when the other lifts and cable cars around Cortina are shut, traffic funnels here and both the queue and the cabins fill up.
• Coming down: there is no evening service, so fix your return before wandering far from the top station.
• Picnic ground: three minutes' walk above the summit station the slope opens into grass — bring a mat and something to sit under.
• Toilets and water: free public toilets stand about 210 m from the valley station, and the nearest drinking water tap about 400 m.

The valley station sits on the eastern edge of Cortina, and the bus stop named after the cable car, Via Franchetti - Funivia Faloria, is about 100 m away, with a second stop on Via Franchetti a little further along. Drivers leave the car about the same distance off and walk in to the ticket window; from there the climb is the cable car's job.

Better: mid-morning on a clear day. There was no queue at the ticket window at 11am on a July morning, and mountain cloud tends to build over the afternoon.

Avoid: days when the other lifts and cable cars around Cortina are shut — everything that would have spread across the valley ends up here instead.

The cable car was running in the third week of April, with the Great Dolomite Road passes open, and it carries walkers through the summer as well as skiers in winter.