It starts with a point of light. A giant circular shutter opens up like a flower unfurling in the sun, flooding the room with light and revealing the ice and snow glowing in the reddish hues of a December sunset.
The Lumen gallery in Kronplatz region, South Tyrol, lies at just over 2,000 metres above sea level, and is one of the highest art galleries in Europe, its black and white photos and artwork acting as an homage to mountaineering in the Italian Alps.
The giant three-metre-wide shutter, built into a circular window looking onto the landscape, is an exhibition aimed at offering focus. The brief moment of darkness it creates reminded me why I’ve travelled all the way to the Dolomites: to soak in those famous views.
The stunning hotel lobby Situated an hour north of Bolzano, Kronplatz is located on the edge of the Dolomiti Superski area. Connected to the neighbouring resort of Alta Badia, adventurous skiers have access to over 1,000km of slopes.
Known locally as ‘Il Panettone’ for its distinctive bowl shape, the 2,275m high Kronplatz peak is the favoured destination for skiing in South Tyrol, with 121km of pistes and a mix of long wooded runs, cruising blues for beginners and intermediates as well as a scattering of adrenaline-inducing blacks and long, straight reds – ideal for the ski teams. Each January the town hosts a leg of the FIS World Cup downhill.
Outside of racing weeks, ski teams practice. A dozen tiny ninja-like children zip past, all dressed in matching ski attire, as I head down the resort’s Piz de Plaies run.
The priorities of ski holidays have, however, changed in recent decades. Non-ski activities are now a ‘must-have’, with experiential tourists looking for more than simply a good set of pistes.
Seeing the opportunity, the luxury Falkensteiner Hotel group invested in a new 97-room five-star residence at the base of the ski lifts whose raison d’être is to provide the extras that cannot be found on the slopes.
‘A key ingredient is semolina flour. You can use white flour, but semolina doesn’t make too much friction, you know?’ says chef Federico of 7Summit, the hotel restaurant designed around local produce. Eight out of every ten ingredients used are sourced from the Tyrol or not far beyond. The dishes mix Tyrolean and Italian flavours.
Although pizza can be consumed around the world, it’s arguably only in Italy that the food reaches close to perfection, and according to Federico it is all in the dough. Next, following a recipe close to one used in Naples, he educates us on how to make authentic limoncello.
Designed by renowned Italian architect Matteo Thun, the hotel’s four interconnected low-rise blocks represent the four seasons in Southern Tyrol and are linked via a ground-floor podium which allows easy access to the restaurant. The ‘adult friendly’ hotel has focused on comforts for couples, although children are welcome, and a programme of activities aims to soothe the senses.
Being whipped in the face with a towel may not be many people’s idea of high-end relaxation, however it forms part of a traditional Tyrolean sauna routine. By placing a series of spherical frozen infusions onto the hot coals one at a time, then circulating the air, the intensity of the heat and the fragrances gradually increases. It’s less a sauna experience and more a form of hot meditation.
The ritual is performed three times a day. Combined with a dip in the rooftop pool it provided a tonic for legs held inside ski boots for a day. A couple from the Czech Republic accost Miriam afterwards to express their joy that Miriam ‘came back again’.
‘And will you be here next year?’ they ask.
I catch myself checking my phone’s calendar to see when I am free next winter. Kronplatz is more than just a ski break, it’s an experience all in itself.
Book direct at falkensteiner.com. From £404 per night for a Double Deluxe Room (sleeps up to two adults and one child), half board.
SkyAlps operates flights from London Gatwick to Bolzano (approximately one-hour drive from Kronplatz) from €184 each way. Children under two years old travel free of charge. skyalps.com
Book a private airport transfer online at falkensteiner.com/en/hotel-kronplatz/location-contact, £185 each way including up to seven passengers. Upgrade to an electric vehicle for £210 each way.
Package:
Ski Solutions has seven nights half-board at Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz from £2,545 per person including flights from London Gatwick to Innsbruck and private airport transfers (two hours approx).
skisolutions.com / 020 3918 9281.
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