Most visitors who come to the jagged, skyscraping peaks of northeastern Italy stay at a traditional hotel in the Badia Valley. But Adler Mountain Lodge (adler-lodge.com; €243) is luring more design-inclined skiers to the lesser-known Alpe di Siusi region to the west.
The main building has 18 rooms, with spare pinewood interiors, floor-toceiling windows, and décor inspired by the owners’ trips to Africa—a totem pole here, a carved wooden eagle there. You’ll also find 12 stunning terraced villas resembling ancient Tyrolean huts.
Surrounding the property are more than 350 kilometers of hiking and crosscountry ski trails dotted with traditional baitas (stone-and-wood houses) selling steaming cups of hot cocoa. Ask the concierge to arrange a one-hour trek that ends with lunch at Gostner Schwaige (Via Saltria; €40), where Franz Mulser serves his signature hay soup, a hearty mix of vegetable stock, cream, butter and boiled hay in a bread bowl.
There’s little reason to leave the area, but it’s worth taking the short cable car ride to Santa Cristina village to see the town square glow with holiday lights.
