1477 Reichhalter

The boutique guesthouse 1477 Reichhalter has been a feature of village life for centuries and was a building crying out for someone to give it love without painting over its wonderful charisma of Alpine heritage and aged presence.

Today, 1477 Reichhalter is a shabby chic Gasthaus of salvaged originality created by the local architect Zeno Bampi and designer Christina von Berg.

An unassuming beauty whereby imperfection narrates the interior design of raw simplicity framed in a restful palette of chalked whites, copper green and soft greys from the milky to leaded pencil. 

Reichhalter embraces the cornerstones of its former life and the history pleasingly commands attention: the feel is utterly authentic without trying too hard – this is not an engineered refurb, it is crafted and palpable.

Treasured furnishings, salvaged pieces, ceramics in cereal tones, muted linens in putty colours and a small library of well-turned books were all deliberately hand-picked for this house and no other.

Despite being a small guesthouse, this B&B is rounded off perfectly with sink-into-luxurious bedding and organic skincare from guru Susanne Kaufmann: adding a touch of indulgence to the clean puritan edit.

Reichhalter is for those who love putty tones, earthy demure and heaps of wrinkles of times past – a tiny hotel that clearly feels confident in style and is at ease with its new owners who dared to fall in love with this house.

Perfect simplicity reigns in the bedrooms of 1477 Reichalter. A white-on-white colour palette highlights the textural contrast in the rooms, from the crisp bed linen to the rough-to-the-touch original walls and the heavy draped blinds.

Pockets of light come from antique light stands that hover over comfortable floral fabric mid-century armchairs. Bathrooms are small and pretty with vintage round sinks and gold-edged circular mirrors paired with skincare products from organic queen Susanne Kaufmann.

Being in one of the most bountiful regions of South Tyrol, Italian fresh produce headlines the foodie offering at the Reichhalter Gasthaus, overseen by passionate foodies: local duo Martina and Andreas Heinisch. 

Residents kick off their day with the scents of freshness from the local baker’s basket to homemade jams, cured mountain meats and the yellowest of egg yolks.

The all-day café is a comfy hotspot for fellow guests, those passing through and the regular locals chatting over coffee and cakes. In the evening, the room shifts gear to become a restaurant of sheer taste: a farm-to-table concept that brings hearty favourites, wines from the nearby vineyards and a celebration of everything good from Südtirol.

Located in the heart of the Alto Adige market-town of Lana (South of Merano), Reichhalter Guesthouse makes a great base to sample local restaurants, bars and local foodie shops. At every corner, the great outdoors beckons with hiking, skiing, cycling and countless beauty spots to explore including Schloss Braunsberg.

Local hero Klaus Dissertori and his family – hoteliers and natural hosts, have long viewed this old building as not only the perfect addition to the family business but the opportunity to create something of simple beauty and a celebration of heritage for destination Lana. Klaus pulled in architect Zeno Bampi, and champion of stunningly authentic interiors, designer Christina von Berg to help visualise his visions of comfort forged with history.

In the words of Klaus; ‘Reichhalter 1477 is a guesthouse that adds a new dimension of accommodation with originality at its heart – it is a place that I feel at home in and the little touches of history that peek through, just make me feel good, it is uncomplicated, yet has many layers.’