South Tyrol

Italy

'The most beautiful natural architecture in the world' – Le Corbusier, 1907.

From its perch in Northern Italy, South Tyrol/Süd Tirol or Alto Adige as it is also known is a small but wonderful pocket of Northern Italy that shares more than just a border with Austria; this is an Alpinist lifestyle that flirts with Dolce Vita. A jewel of ancient cultures set in the mighty crown of the Alps nestled among the Dolomite mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage site. A chameleon of the Mediterranean and the Alps - expect snow-capped peaks to sun-kissed palm trees, traditional Tyrolean huts to strike-a-pose sustainable architecture, pasta to Knödel, dapper Italian styling to Lederhosen, Habsburger Villas to sleek modernist architecture, Grappa to Schnapps and the ski piste to botanical gardens.

More than forty regional dialects are spoken; South Tyrol has three official languages: German, Italian and around the Dolomites region of Alta Badia, the traditional Ladin is spoken - also home to the oldest Rhaeto-Romanic people in the Alps.

South Tyrol is all about a marriage of cultures, languages, traditions, progressive architecture and spectacular mountain nature – home to the Dolomites and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo/Drei Zinnen - a triptych declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. Le Corbusier arrived in 1907, and he famously declared the Dolomites 'the most beautiful natural architecture in the world'. A further 332 Jurassic peaks storm into the sky; the highest mountain is the Ortles/Ortler in Val Venosta/Vinschgau at 3,905 m., and the highest plateau in Europe, Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm. South Tyrol covers 7,400 km and has over 13,000 km of hiking trails; road cyclists adore the region for its legendary climbs. The provincial capital of Bolzano/Bozen is a vibrant university city and home to Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in 1991, protruding from the glacier near the Giogo di Tisa/Tisenjoch Pass. Blessed with more than 300 sunshine days a year and faded Habsburg grandeur, the second city Merano/Meran has been a tropical hotspot since the days of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. She came for the mild Mediterranean mountain air and healing waters. Thirdly, Glorenza/Glurns in the south of Malles/Mals is one of the world's smallest cities – a wonderful melange of narrow medieval streets, churches, and its famous castle.

SKYALPS Airline | Flights to the Dolomites Bolzano | The Aficionados

JOURNAL

Fly direct to South Tyrol and the Dolomites

Get straight to the heart of the action with a new SkyAlps ski flight that lands directly from London, Brussels, Copenhagen, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Rotterdam & Hamburg into Bolzano, the Alpine capital of South Tyrol and perfectly placed for ski escapades in the UNESCO protected Dolomites.

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Farnhaus

Fabulous holiday apartments with panoramic views and an interior palette that borrows from the surrounding beauty and captures the purity of nature with a modernist hand.

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Anders Mountain Suites

An architectural-statement, this minimalist hideaway in the Dolomites is the perfect basecamp for those who appreciate design, food, comfort and doorstep nature.

Lagació, Hotel, eco, design, luxury, spa, Dolomites, boutique, Alpine, South Tyrol

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Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence

Wrapped by the Dolomites, this modern eco resort pairs mountain lifestyle with simple elegance and luxury wellness vibes. An authentically pastoral location accented with the local Ladin culture that feels at once both holistic and fun.

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Magdalener Hof

Affectionately known simply as ‘Magda’, personality flows from this mountainous bolthole of style framed on all sides by glorious greens, thanks to its location in choc-box Bolzano within the South Tyrolean Dolomites. Magda will soon become your New Best Friend.

Miramonti, Hotel, luxury, boutique, design, Alps, romantic, South Tyrol, Italy

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Miramonti Boutique Hotel

The chilled design hotel Miramonti sits perched atop Merano, nestled in forestry with spectacular, Bond-like views. Modernity subtly reigns whilst snuggling up to Alpine traditions – the vibe is relaxed, chilled and most definitely easy-going.

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Seehotel Ambach

A groovy icon from the seventies, Seehotel Ambach presides over the shores of Lake Caldaro in Italy’s South Tyrol with its perfectly formed, curvaceous marshmallowy walls of laid-back glamour and a canvas of tangerine, vert and oxide reds which drape mid-century furniture pieces.

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Das Wanda

Modernity, fresh elegance and a natural hand are cornerstones within the restored traditional walls of boutique hotel, Das Wanda; a modern, natural retreat with a strong South Tyrolean heart.

- Lana, Italy

Villa Arnica

A fabulously chilled 1920s villa with just ten gorgeous suites is set to a rhythm of vineyards, vegetable gardens, velvets, rattans, good food, pool – and a past decked in creative glamour wrapped in mustard yellow

Gasthaus Reichhalter 1477 Lana, South Tyrol - new design hotel guesthouse Italy

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1477 Reichhalter

Ceramics, pencil-lead greys, putty linens and aged furnishings headline at this restored design guesthouse of original simplicity in the cute market of Lana, South Tyrol.

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Villa Fluggi

A fabulous retro-design, five bedroom holiday home of smooth vintage in Merano, this design vacation-rental is gorgeous, a luxury haven dotted with thoughtful mid-century design pieces, layered with love.

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Ottmanngut

Small, delicate, exquisite; this creative residence is fully-stocked with vintage family pieces and curatorial heritage, and includes a fabulous orangerie thriving between the greenest of Mediterranean gardens and whitest snow-capped peaks.

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Hotel Milla Montis

Rising up like delicate meringue-whipped peaks, mirroring the Dolomites panorama that surrounds it, the architecture and design of Hotel Milla Montis create an impact.

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Gloriette Guesthouse

With mountain eye-candy stretching out in every direction, this nest egg of casual style is the perfect bolthole for urbanites who love the rural idyll framed by modernity and crowned by its fabulous rooftop infinity pool of sheer wow.

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Schgaguler Hotel

A design pad of style, the interior is eminently simple: floor-to-ceiling windows, bespoke carpentry, and a clean Alpine aesthetic that borrows from Italian design, the Danish principals of Hygge and a touch of sweet sophistication in the Japonesque detailing.

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Vigilius Mountain Resort

The vigilius mountain resort, created by architect, Matteo Thun, reclines in effortless eco style set to a fragrant Alpine landscape of larch trees, mountain pine, foxgloves and alpine roses.

Alpine interiors of the Boutique hotel Weisses Kreuz & Mansion zum Löwen is a design and Spa hotel in Burgeis (Burgusio), situated in the Venosta Valley (Vinschgau), South Tyrol, Italy.

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Hotel Weißes Kreuz

Birch and smoked oak hug the thick walls and capture the house’s DNA from the days as a farmhouse barn. Once a resplendent Renaissance home to the Bishop and favoured lodgings for the merchant traders heading along the Romanesque Via Claudia Augusta.

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Bühelwirt

An eye-catching designer hillside bastion of cool contemporary interiors framed by lush alpine forests and snow-capped mountains, where simple luxe shakes hands with age-old tradition, this is Hotel Bühelwirt Ahrntal in Italy’s stunning Valle Aurina.

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Parkhotel Mondschein

A fabulous new hotel, excitement builds for the opening of Parkhotel Mondschein, a new design hotel addition to the red-roofed Bolzano skyline in South Tyrol, ready for guests to pass through its newly painted doors.

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Schloss Freudenstein

Sleep under medieval frescoes, sweep down labyrinthine corridors, lord it up on the lofty ramparts or stroll through the Mediterranean garden, admiring the ivy-clad castle backdrop.

- Lagundo, Italy

VillaVerde

History, design, calmed wellness and an interior of modern heritage make this hotel-apartment refuge close to Merano the perfect pitstop for some downtime and closeness to nature.

Montelino Bardolino | Luxe Holiday Rental Lake Garda |The Aficionados

HOLIDAY HOME - Bardolino, Italy

Montelino Boutique House

An über sleek modernist villa located in Bardolino, just fifteen minutes stroll from shoreside Lake Garda. A private-hire cuboid holiday home wrapped around by a lush garden and a pool, Montelino provides privacy seeking nomads with everything necessary as a hub for a modern-day Grand Tour pitstop.

HOTEL - Sirmione, Italy

Aqva Boutique Hotel

With the feel of a hip in-the-know club for lido-lovers, Aqva Boutique Hotel’s modular alabaster white building is fronted by a turquoise pool surrounded by sleek decking. Like a pointing finger, a private pier juts out onto the lake - perfect for those celeb moments.

Apartment - Rome, Italy

Crossing Corso

Crossing Corso Apartment is a luxury design pad in the heartlands of Rome set within a historic 18th-century palazzo townhouse, which poignantly resides behind the Piazza di Spagna.

Filario Hotel Lake Como | Lezzeno, Lombardy Italy | The Aficionados

Hotel & Residences - Lake Como, Italy

Filario

A sleek modernist mansion sitting front row on the Lezzeno shoreline of Lake Como, backed by a mountainous canopy forest. A homage to Italian custom, style and native craftsmanship, Filario flirts with time-past decadence and chilled luxury – an elegant pairing of design and heritage overlooking Bellagio, Villa Balbianello, and Comacina Island.

Hotel - Alta Badia, Italy

Lagació

HOTEL - Alpe di Siusi, Italy

Schgaguler Hotel

A smooth design den pearled in white with an interior design that is eminently simple: a clean alpine aestheticism that borrows from Italian design, the Danish principles of hygge and a touch of sweet sophistication in the Japonesque detailing.

Vivere Suites and Rooms - a small design bed & breakfast, in the Arco Mountains, close to Lake Garda, Italy

Guesthouse - Arco, Italy

Vivere Suites and Rooms

A small designer outpost that is both rustic and sophisticated in its design simplicity – conceived to mirror the surrounding vineyards and Arco Mountains of Trentino, this rural idyll is an architectural bolthole that gives nature a stylish makeover, irresistibly close to Lake Garda.

Guesthouse - Merano, Italy

Ottmanngut

HOTEL - Maranza, Italy

Hotel Milla Montis

Rising up like delicate meringue-whipped peaks, mirroring the Dolomites panorama that surrounds it, the architecture and design of Hotel Milla Montis create an impact.

HOTEL - Caldaro al Lago, Italy