Guests are welcome to help out with farm work, and can lodge in three cosy Alpine-style apartments, with a fabulous sauna made by Claudia’s carpenter son. Claudia Insam and her husband are committed organic farmers, with cows, chickens and splendid vegetable gardens. This rambling, 400-year-old farm is in verdant Val Gardena, part of the Dolomites Unesco world heritage site, just outside Ortisei, a picture-postcard ski resort dominated by the jagged stone peaks of the Dolomites. The nearest village, Cibiana, is 10 minutes’ drive away, and worth visiting for the 50 contemporary murals that decorate its ancient walls.ĭoubles from €70 B&B, Biohof Luech da Uridl, South Tyrol And the Baita offers spectacular vistas either from the four comfortable guest rooms or two huge panoramic terraces, encircled by a natural amphitheatre of towering peaks and dense forests. The Baita’s genial cuoca, Paola, cooks up a storm: porcini mushroom risotto, melted mountain cheese over grilled polenta, wild boar stew. In one direction lies the glamorous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, which will co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan, while in the other is medieval Pieve di Cadore, birthplace of Renaissance painter Titian. In the heart of the Veneto belt of the Dolomites, this rustic lodge sits on the Cibiana Pass entrance to the Cadore valley. The owner, Monika, prepares a buffet breakfast of farm-cured ham, fresh eggs and homemade strudel, perfect before you set off on a nature trek through the surrounding valleys.ĭoubles from €72 B&B, Baita Deona, Veneto Evenings spent over a dinner of Tyrolean cuisine, with excellent Alto Adige wines or foaming mugs of locally brewed craft beers, can get quite raucous, as the Schlossberg is a favourite stop-off for a cosmopolitan mix of vintage car aficionados, cyclists reliving the mythic climbs of the Giro d’Italia and passionate bikers who roar up on gleaming Harleys. Rooms are simple but comfortable, and there is a pool and Finnish sauna. Studio for two from €72 a night, Gasthof Schlossberg, South TyrolĪmong the towering peaks of the South Tyrolean Alps, a narrow mountain road zigzags up from the verdant Passirio valley to the foot of the Jaufen Pass, where – at an elevation of 2,000 metres – this old-time guesthouse looks out over a stunning panorama. Nearly all the village’s ancient wooden houses have been transformed into 40 snug guest chalets, and there is a salumeria, trattoria, the Zahrebeer artisan brewery, a wellness centre hewn into the rock face, and outdoor activities like horse riding, canoeing and a hair-raising zipline. But as the road climbs to Sauris di Sopra (upper Sauris), you enter a once-abandoned hamlet that today has been converted into an albergo diffuso, a “scattered hotel” sustainable tourism destination. On the drive up into Friuli’s rugged Carnic Alps, the village of Sauris is famous for a cured ham that rivals prosciuttos from Parma and San Daniele.
Head to Cantina di Ortona vineyard to discover the local Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wines.ĭoubles from € 75 B&B, MOUNTAINS Albergo Diffuso Sauris, Friuli Venezia Giulia The tower looks out over a 14km stretch of beach, with hiking and bike paths nearby – part of the Costa dei Trabocchi, named after Abruzzo’s distinctive fishing cabins that sit on raised stilts above the water. The comfortable rooms are minimalist and modern, functional rather than luxurious. Thick stone walls encircle a maze of courtyards, gardens, shady arcades and sea-view terraces built almost 1,000 years ago. This 12th-century fortress tower, converted three years ago into a seven-room lodging, dominates the medieval fishing port of Ortona. The hotel’s on-site restaurant, La Locanda di Nettuno, has a short but excellent seafood menu – try the grilled octopus with caponata and honey.ĭoubles from €42 room-only, Torre della Loggia, Abruzzo The remarkable black-sand Santa Teresa beach is within walking distance, but the whole coast is dotted with cute coves perfect for snorkelling, kayaking (book excursions through ) and swimming in warm, clear water.
Photograph: Laura Di Biase/Alamyĭown the coast from the port and ancient hilltop town centre of Maratea, Hotel Martino’s fantastic-value balconied rooms all have superb sunset views of the Gulf of Policastro, plus there’s a garden, indoor pool and sauna.