Dolomites Farmstead

Through the Keyholes at an Authentic Dolomite Lodge

Antique locks decorate every door at this sturdy rustic lodge in the breathtaking Dolomites. Cutting a classic if oversized figure, the gabled chalet occupies a striking hillside. The high-altitude getaway stuns with the sheer beauty of its setting and the generosity of its reimagined, three-story interior, an artful refurbishment where the steady passage of time serves as a design inspiration.

Sleeping 20 guests, this ancient farmhouse combines size, history, and luxury within its hand-hewn mass. Possessing classic chalet architecture such as exposed ceiling beams, vaulted interiors, woodburning fireplaces, deep gabled terraces with flower boxes, and weathered wood, this villa for rent in Italy also showcases architectural originals. It has more than 200 antique wrought-iron locks, a coved stone cellar spa, farm floors, and sturdy walls. A reimagining of the rugged Alpine chalet, the renovation takes the mountain lodge’s classic charms up a notch in terms of luxury and comfort.

The renovation is vast, featuring cool modern updates within a rustic embrace. There’s a craggy slab hearth with a glass firebox, panoramic sliding doors, repurposed cabinetry and massive wood wall coverage, plus a wellness area occupying an ancient cellar, offering a pool, Turkish bath, emotional shower, and whirlpool. Not to be forgotten are the in-home cinema, radiant floor heating and enlarged windows and skylights to let in the high-altitude rays in its five suites.

The property has five suites, sleeping between two and seven guests each. There is one on the ground floor that sleeps two guests. There is one on the first floor that sleeps four guests. There are three on the second floor, sleeping seven, four and three guests each.

Around

Set on a rolling green hillside reminiscent of a scene from The Sound of Music, this stunning villa for rent in Italy dominates a remote landscape in a lesser-traveled region of the country. With the dramatic sawtooth crags of the Dolomites as its backdrop, the chalet encompasses an area of the Italian Alps bordering Switzerland and Austria, an ideal choice for mountain rambling, hiking, skiing, and sport fishing. The valley town of Livinallongo del Col di Lana is crossed by the Cordevole stream amid the peaks of the Sella group of the mighty Dolomites, home to hiking trails and dense woods of fir, plus the vast Arabba ski resort. It also hosts two unique ski routes, the First World War ski tour (the area was sadly the site of many violent battles) and the Sellaronda loop. The town’s parish steeple rises sharply against the rocky Sella range, and the village is also home to castle ruins. One of the town’s most defining features is its isolation, a region of high altitude farmsteads where long-held local customs and traditions combined with geographic seclusion even kept a unique language, Ladin, alive and spoken.

Location

Livinallongo del Col di Lana, Belluno, Veneto, Italy. Nearest airports: Bolzano (77km, 2 hours), Innsbruck (145km, 3 hours)

Best time to visit

Year round