travel

The best chalets for a winter getaway

What could be better than a cozy mountain retreat to spend a night immersed in nature?

Home Life Lifestyle travel The best chalets for a winter getaway

Spending a night immersed in the natural beauty that the mountains offer in winter can be a great idea. Relaxing silence and fragrant forest air are the best way to leave city claustrophobia behind.

 

But how can you choose where to stay? Ideally, the chalet should be surrounded by nature with stunning views and landscapes but it must also be easy to reach by car, perhaps on a scenic route which is fun to drive and as safe as possible.

The first chalet is located in San Lorenzo di Sebato in the province of Bolzano. The San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge may well be one of the most beautiful chalets in Italy. It is located in Val Pusteria, one of the greenest and wildest areas of Trentino-Alto Adige. It was the winner of the “The best ski chalet of Italy" award and this speaks volumes about the comfort and beauty of the building and of the nature that surrounds it. The chalet is a converted 16th-century farmhouse, fully renovated and transformed into a truly gorgeous holiday lodge.

If you like driving a little further and don't mind crossing the border into Switzerland, even if only just, you can opt for a beautiful chalet near the village of Verbier. The Les Sapins Bleues chalet is located only a few kilometres away from the border with Val d'Aosta. The road leading up to it is constantly monitored and cleared, so there is no need to fear for your safety. On the contrary, you can enjoy a drive that promises to be fun and full of breath-taking views. The Swiss chalet does the rest. It has a tasteful central fireplace, huge windows that frame the snow-covered Alpine peaks and the ski area "Les 4 Vallées - Verbier/​La Tzoumaz/​Nendaz/​Veysonnaz/​Thyon" a stone's throw away, for maximum convenience.

The next destination is in Lombardy, in Livigno, one of the most famous destinations in Italy for its always pristine ski slopes. Livigno is home to one of the most beautiful chalets full of remarkable attention to detail. The advantage of choosing a chalet in Livigno for New Year's Eve goes beyond snow and nature. Livigno is the perfect location for shopping addicts because the area benefits from a special taxation system offering lower prices on all products.

Also near Livigno, but just across the border, there is a barn conversion that transformed an old building into a dream chalet. It is called "Chesa Barba Tobago" and is located in the centre of La Punt, the small village that in Italian is called Ponte-Campovasto. The valley, only a few kilometres from Lombardy, is picture-perfect. What is more, St. Moritz is very close, just some ten kilometres away. The ski slopes can be easily accessed on foot.

The fifth suggestion is the Hotellerie de Mascognaz chalet in Valle d'Aosta. The style is what some people call rustic-chic, which in other words means being immersed in the scent of wood and the atmosphere of a typical Alpine village, such as Mascognaz, while not holding back on comfort.