South Tyrol - not just for winter!

July, 2009

Think of the Dolomites in Italy's South Tyrol: sweeping pistes and crisp sunny winter days enjoying a bombadino or two. But the Dolomites have just as much to offer in the summer months, as I discovered during a long weekend in June.

Landing at Verona, I transferred to Ortisei, a small town at the foot of the beautiful ‘pale mountains’ (recently recognised as a Natural World Heritage Site).  You can just see the peak of the Sassolungo: a mountain named after a legendary giant who played pranks on his neighbours and stole their chickens.  An early version of ‘zero tolerance’ meant that, instead of getting an Asbo, Sassolungo was cast into the ground by the Gods, leaving only his outstretched pink fingers showing.  It is fortunate for us that they did this as the Sassolungo peak provides a dramatic backdrop to the area.

The region is a unique mix, combining the warmth and flair (and maniacal driving) of the Italians with the composure and the quaint architecture of the Austrians. The area has an interesting mix of languages - many locals are tri-lingual, speaking Ladin (a variant of Latin), Italian and German. The "Ladinos" work hard to ensure the survival of their language, which is for many the mother tongue.

My first two nights in Ortisei were spent at Hotel Balance, which opened on Boxing Day last year and is an imposing building made out of cedar wood. Cedar is known for its calming qualities and its aroma pervades the hotel – this was particularly welcome after the (unmistakably Italian) taxi ride from the airport.

The region is famous for its carpentry and the locals evidently worked hard creating Hotel Balance - every nook and cranny has been carefully considered and shaped.

The hotel affords wonderful views of the mountains (still snow-capped) around Ortisei, and their verdant grassy mountain slopes dotted with ‘chocolate-box’ houses. The rooms are large and luxurious. From my bath I could look, through a window into the bedroom, across the balcony to the hills beyond. What more could I ask for? Perhaps a glass of perfectly chilled Tyrolean white…

Guests of the hotel have full use of the swimming pools and spa facilities in Hotel Adler. The hotels are joined by an underground walkway decorated with paintings by the owner, Elly Sanoner (the eighth generation of the Sanoner family to run the hotel).

To ease the strain of long hours scrunched over my desk I opted for a Four Seasons Aroma massage spa treatment.  My choice of oil duly made, I forced myself not to bolt from the room when asked to don a pair of tiny ill-fitting paper knickers. I dived under the towel on the bed and, undeterred by my ridiculous prudery, my masseuse got to work. It quickly became apparent that my precious British personal boundaries were going to be challenged - a massage in South Tyrol has a distinctly European flavour and those paper knickers felt decidedly non-existent.  I vowed to be more European in my outlook when I visited the sauna.

After my massage, and back in another pair of paper knickers, I took an Essential Bath: a large, deep bath full of warm water, herbs and plenty of bubbles.  I was served a cup of herbal tea (more appetising than its name – “Pukka tea - peppermint, liquorice and rose” - suggested) which would allegedly restore calm and balance.  Something to "remove wrinkles and cure a deep rooted alcohol problem" might have been more to the point . . .but I left sufficiently imbued with calm and balance to explore the various rooms and pools that the spa has to offer, all tucked away from each other so that you are often deliciously alone. 

 I finished with an early evening dip in the outdoor heated whirlpool and a laze in the Panoramic Finnish sauna, all with spectacular views of the mountains. Sitting in the whirlpool, I started my mental list for return trips: who could I share this perfect place with? Definitely a girl's trip; a romantic weekend; a treat with mum ... That romantic weekend would be enhanced by a "sky dinner" when, for a couple of evenings in July, the Ortisei cable cars are miraculously transformed into beautiful dining areas, seating up to six people. The local restaurants provide the food and wine and the sunset provides the backdrop. (Booking is essential).

The following day, relaxed and refreshed by the spa, I had a lesson in Nordic walking.  Here’s what I learned:

1. There’s more to it than just walking with poles!
2. You do feel as if you are having a practical introduction to Monty Python' s Ministry of Silly Walks.
3. Fortunately, the only audience is the local wild deer who are not fazed.
4. A demonstration from a local man on the correct technique for Nordic skipping served as a timely reminder that skipping and lycra shorts don't mix…
5. Once you get into your rhythm, the exercise allegedly uses 90% of your muscles - it certainly feels like it the following day

Poles in hand and practice session complete, we started in earnest up the mountain. Thankfully, at the end of any good hike in the South Tyrol there is always a friendly hütte to feed you twice the calories you burnt on the way up, and the Regensburghütte was no exception. It was too tempting to say no so I didn 't bother trying to refuse the delicious spaghetti and apfelstrudel.

Significantly heavier (and faster) on the way down, I even managed a (very) few strides of Nordic skipping. The Sound of Music flashbacks and cheers of encouragement from the group notwithstanding, I tired within seconds and fell back to simple Nordic walking. Momentarily distracted by the lycra (see point 4 above), I had quite forgotten that one of the main reasons for Nordic walking is the views – and they are stunning.  Sun-bathed mountains serve as a backdrop to the rolling hills, covered with meadow flowers and small hay barns, all bathed in fresh, invigorating air that is in such short supply in London.

After my Nordic walking crash course, what better tonic could there be than a spell in a Hay Bath, a traditional spa treatment from the region, which involves your being steamed in hay. There are variations on the theme, some itchier than others, where you actually lie in and are covered by the hay. Apparently, the benefits were discovered when farmers on long journeys with their cattle found that they awoke with fewer aches and pains after a night’s sleeping on the hay above their livestock.  For me, the smell was heavenly and the experience managed to evoke the feeling of being back in the mountain meadows.

Having decided that sampling the culinary delights of the South Tyrol was a necessity, I enjoyed a delicious meal at Anna Stuben (in Hotel Groednerhof), one of a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in the area . The philosophy of resident chef, Armin Mairhofen, is to create local dishes emphasising the flavours of local organic produce. After sampling a number of the local wines, I slept like a baby and awoke feeling surprisingly fresh for the final day of my weekend.

My plan to spend the morning horse riding and hiking in the meadows in the Alpe di Siusi was scuppered by the weather as unusually heavy cloud cover obscured any hope of a view, so instead I took the opportunity to visit the Messner Mountain Museum in Sigmundskron Castle. The museum was created by Reinhold Messner, the world famous mountaineer, and allows you to share a moment or two with a man who has devoted his life to the mountains of the world.  The museum has a poignant room full of photographs of mountaineers who have died while climbing, and displays the boot belonging to his brother, a fellow mountaineer who also died on a climb.  Even Messner wonders why so many people feel compelled to conquer the mountains when the risk is so great.

I spent my last night in the South Tyrol in Hotel Seiser Alm Hotel (which I reached courtesy of the Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm cable car).  The hotel is situated high on a mountain plateau covered in meadow grass, where the silence is disturbed only by cowbells.  I took a dip in the hotel’s swimming pool, which flows outside - and bobbing in the water in the sharp, clear air in such beautiful tranquil surroundings, I felt I had finally discovered the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of London.

Back in London, all that remains are the memories of the spa treatments, the Nordic walking, the food and the mountain views - I realised that Messner was probably right: the Dolomites may not be the highest mountains in the world, but they certainly are the most beautiful.

 Danielle Heath (Hotels Group, CMS Cameron McKenna)

Fact box

More information:

For more information on holidays to South Tyrol visit www.suedtirol.info.

Accommodation:

Rates at the five-star Hotel Adler Spa Resort (www.adler-dolomites.com) start from €145 per person per night, or weekly from €770 per person.

Rates at the five-star Hotel Urthaler (www.seiseralm.com) start from €118 per person per night. Open from mid-May to October and from December to mid-April.

Rates at the Bio Hotel Theiner’s Garten (www.theinersgarten.it) start from €105 per person per night. Open March to December.

Flights:

British Airways flies from Gatwick to Verona from £115 return including taxes. Visit ba.com or call British Airways on 0844 4930787.

Low cost transfers to the region:

www.suedtirol.info/transfer

Other places to stay in the area:

• Hotel Gardena Groednerhof: famed for its Michelin starred restaurant (see above) and perfectly situated in the centre of Ortisei, the spa room even had a chill-out area with water beds!

• Hotel Vigilius: this hotel is reached by cable car and the emphasis is very much on being an exclusive eco-friendly hide-out. The hotel is intentionally small and personal and the views from the infinity pool are spectacular.

• Hotel Theiner's Garten: the hotel opened in March this year and is a wonderful, unique bio hotel. Built by an organic farming family, it has neither glue nor nails and is true to its green credentials – every little detail has been carefully analysed to reduce its impact on the environment. All this has been achieved without compromising style and beauty. It seems that you can have it all, and it is definitely on my list of places to stay when I return.