Room with a View in the Alpe di Siusi

I said I would be back and here I was. The first time I saw the Alpe di Siusi region of the Dolomiti (Dolomites), my mouth fell open…jaw-dropping holy s*** this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It really is that gorgeous. It was mid-June, it was green, the sky was blue and the sunshine was warm. I stayed 5 days and vowed to come back, maybe in autumn, maybe in winter when it was covered in snow or maybe in summer yet again.

So, here I was, in mid- September. Not really quite autumn yet, but summer seemed over. It didn’t matter. I was happy to be here again in this take your breath away scenery.

When I was here in 2011, I stayed at the lovely hotel, Cavallino d’Oro located right in the heart of Castelrotto. Castelrotto is one of the towns of the valley and my personal favorite. While I loved this hotel and its incredible breakfast and the hospitality of the owners, it is located right under the bell tower which rings every 15 minutes from 7am to 10pm. And, I wanted to be closer to the trails and perhaps stay somewhere with a view. So, I stayed in an absolutely wonderful guesthouse, Garni Silbernagl, just across the main road from town and up in the hillside just enough to have some views. When Petra, my lovely hostess, showed me to my single room, I was flabbergasted – this was the best single room I had ever seen. It wasn’t large, but it was clean and bright, and, most importantly, came with a kick-ass balcony that was L-shaped. I had views of the mountains and valley in 2 different directions. I was ecstatic! This is what I wanted.

 

 

While Petra doesn’t speak a lot of English, she does speak enough to offer some suggestions on hikes in the area or restaurants for dinner. But, if you speak German (which is the first language spoken in this area) or Italian, you’ll definitely get more stories from her. She absolutely loves her guests and is quite animated. There were many Germans there at the time and the conversations they were having, well, I wish I knew German. It sounded as thought they were having some fun chats. Lots of laughter! I really loved Petra and her energy. She works hard, but also has a wonderful time socializing with her guests which, she told me, is what she truly loves.

 

 

Breakfast, served in the warm breakfast room on the ground level, was a wonderful buffet of meat, cheese, breads, sweet breads, cereals, yogurt, fruit, coffee, tea and juice. Eggs were also an option. It was not only plentiful, but delicious!

It was with a heavy heart that I left Garni Silbernagl, Petra and the Alpe di Siusi. I had a wonderful talk with Petra before I left as she talked about how much she loves what she does, but also how difficult it is to run a small guesthouse like hers. She does it all! And she needs to have a full house as often as possible. We certainly highly recommend Garni Silbernagl. The location is perfect, parking (if you have a car) is free, the price is very reasonable, breakfast is tasty, the rooms are fabulous as each has a balcony, and Petra is a marvelous hostess. Not only will I return yet again to the Alpe di Siusi and Castelrotto, but I’ll stay at Garni Silbernagl. No doubt about it!