Like Father, Like Son

For The Owners Of Hotel Rosa Alpina In Italy's Südtirol Region, Hospitality Is A Family Tradition

Hugo (left) and Paolo Pizzinini, owners of Hotel Rosa Alpina in Italy's Südtirol region.

Paolo & Hugo Pizzinini

Owners, Hotel Rosa Alpina

On any day, at any given moment, father and son duo, Paolo and Hugo Pizzinini, can be found on the grounds of Hotel Rosa Alpina tending to every aspect of the family-run operation. Second and third generation hoteliers, respectively, Paolo and Hugo have made it their mission to keep everything at the hotel running smoothly, whether that means greeting guests at check-in, working behind the scenes on a series of new guest activities, or adapting the menu at St. Hubertus, the hotel’s three Michelin star restaurant, with chef Norbert Niederkofler.

Making History On The Mountain

In 1939, Hugo’s grandfather, Englebert, rented the available Alta Badia property, at the time, just a small osteria and lodge, after the South Tyrol region was annexed to Italy post World War I. The Italian government wanted to bring more Italian-owned businesses to the region, and Englebert was happy to oblige. He brought his wife and ten children with him, ensuring the bank providing him with the loan for the rental that he was invested in its success. By the following year, Englebert Pizzinini purchased the property and solidified his family’s roots in the region. His children worked at the hotel and went to school in the tiny village of San Cassiano, eventually growing up into leading business owners in the Badia valley.

Second and third generation owners, both Paola and Hugo grew up on the hotel grounds and to this day participate in every activity.

From Lodge To Luxe

“At 1,500 meters, fruit and vegetables don’t grow here, and life can be tough,” explains Paolo, whose years at Hotel Rosa Alpina have transformed it from a quiet mountain lodge into a world-class retreat. The village was hardly on the map until 1957 when the first ski lift was built in San Cassiano, and in 1968, Paolo took the reins from his father, and went on to oversee decades of expansion and conceptual evolution. Under Paolo's leadership, Rosa Alpina became a destination in its own right, drawing guests from all over the world. Still, he says, “Tourism is new here.” It shouldn't go unnoticed that Paolo’s generation was the first of its kind—children of a “new” Italian population created after the first World War when the tiny alpine section of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was given to Italy as remuneration. Paolo’s generation would go on to link the new Italy and old Austria with the Ladin, a millennia-old micro-community in the Val Badia, who still hold firmly to their culture, traditions, and language.

Hotel Rosa Alpina owner, Hugo Pizzinini, and his family.

Culture Trip

All the Pizzininis, like everyone in San Cassiano, speak Ladin, Italian, and German fluently, and of course English. That’s part of growing up in a multi-cultural, mountain microcosm that Hugo considers “our piece of heaven.” With his wife Ursula and children, the Pizzinini family lives full time in the hotel. Like their father and grandfather, the latest generation of Pizzinini children walk to a nearby school, and play in the mountains.

“This is our culture,” says Hugo proudly, the latest Pizzinini to take on the evolution of Rosa Alpina as it pioneers Italian luxury mountain retreats. “Rosa Alpina is a conglomeration of ideas, it’s not a perfect hotel, but it’s a family hotel," he says, “And what makes this area so successful is that we have the perfect mix of Austrian and German efficiency, Italian creativity, and Ladin identity.” His father Paolo agrees, “The Badia gives us the best of all three regions: German winters, Italian summers, and Ladin traditions.”

Local Recommendations

The Hills Come Alive With Paolo & Hugo Pizzinini

For generations, the Pizzinini family has been living in the Val Badia, a quiet and lush valley in the South Tyrolean Dolomites. At 5,000 feet above sea level, the Val Badia is a redolent paradise of flora and fauna far removed from city life. Together, Paolo and Hugo have helped transform the isolated hillside community into a desirable holiday destination in both summer and winter. But for the father and son team, Val Badia is a paradise year-round, rich with cultural events and spaces, outdoor activities, and Ladin legends.

Skyscraping Scenes

Visit A Zaha Hadid-Designed Musem In Corones

Hugo considers the Zaha Hadid-designed Messner Mountain Museum (Pieve di Marebbe, Bolzano; +39-047-163-1264) in Corones “a window onto the Dolomites.” Situated at 7,500 feet and just over an hour’s drive from Hotel Rosa Alpina, the Messner Mountain Museum is perhaps the most beautiful look out point for the entire Südtirol valley. The cantilevered viewing platform shows off sweeping panoramas beautiful both in summer and winter. The Corones museum is one of six mountaineering museums named for renowned climber, Reinhold Messner, the first man to ascend the world's 14 mountain peaks over 26,000 feet above sea level.

The cliffside Messner Mountain Museum in Bolzano, Italy. Photo courtesy of Wisthaler.com.

Mountain-Top Majesty

The Sights And Sounds Of Summer

Hugo’s favorite time of year in San Cassiano is the summer when the mountains and valleys are fresh and green. “There is more to do in the summer months than many know,” he says, and then goes on to enthusiastically celebrate the mountain resort’s diverse activities, like biking, mountaineering, hiking, foraging, and camping. He and his family live full-time in the Val Badia and encourage visitors to enjoy the sights and sounds of a mountain summer in this nature-lover's paradise. Hotel Rosa Alpina prides itself on its wellness offerings too. This summer the hotel is joining forces with The Ranch, Malibu, the immersive wellness retreat, to bring a bit of southern California spin, including guided mountain hikes, plant-based dining, and a variety of detoxifying spa treatments, to the Dolomites.

Cycling the Südtirol's winding roads.

Dynamic Dolomites

What To Do In A Winter Wonderland

San Cassiano is a skier’s paradise. As if the jaw-dropping beauty of the Dolomites weren’t enough, the area counts nearly 745 miles of prepared runs, 460 lifts, and 475 inter-connected pistes among its best features. Beginners looking to improve their skills on the slopes can take lessons with the Ski and Snowboard School Dolomites (39036 La Villa, Badia; + 39-047-184-4564), while experts can take on the mountain’s hundreds of runs or venture off-piste without a guide.

But residents of the small community of 2,000 know there is far more to the area than just skiing: don’t miss out on skating and curling on the frozen Sompunt lake, and sleigh-riding, sledding, snowshoeing, and winter hiking in the low hills. In the early winter weeks, the town comes alive with traditional Christmas markets. In the evenings, the jagged mountain peaks serve as a scenic backdrop for fireworks displays, torch-lit descents, and acrobatic ski shows.

With 745 miles of runs, the second most of any European ski resort, its impossible to tire of the region's challenging terrain. Photo courtesy of Alex Filz.

Parks And Recreation

UNESCO World Heritage In The Dolomites

In 2009, UNESCO listed 350,000 acres in the Dolomites as an official World Heritage Site, comprising a vast area of mountains, valleys, and natural parks, including Fanes-Senes and Puez-Odle, two protected expanses surrounding San Cassiano. The parks are a showcase of the Dolomites’s diverse geological landscape where more than 200 million years of history converge. The natural beauty of Fanes-Senes is also the backdrop for the little known Ladinian legend, the Fanes Saga, a two thousand year-old legend about a mountain top kingdom and it’s marmot queen. For Hugo, the parks are a special place to lose oneself in peace and quiet amid unspoiled natural splendor.

A view of Fanes-Senes one of two natural parks surrounding San Cassiano and Hotel Rosa Alpina.

Cabin Living

Full Immersion In Ancient Ladin Living

Slightly afield from Hotel Rosa Alpina, at 6,500 feet you’ll find one of Val Badia’s original 1768 wooden cabins, a beautiful remnant from the area’s centuries-old Ladin civilization. In the early 2000's, Rosa Alpina constructed a modern cabin to complement its historical counterpart, which Hugo and Paolo happily share with guests looking for a little alone time. The contemporary cabin offers one night rustic pampering, including chef-catered picnics, the ultimate peace and quiet, and unspoiled views as far as the eye can see. It also promises a return to nature, quite unlike most five star hotels: just like its 250 year old neighbor, the cabin has no hot water or electricity.

Spend one night in Hotel Rosa Alpina's rustic cabin for a night of rustic pampering at 6,000 feet.

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