Italian Alps self catering accommodation
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Engadina Valley, Lombardy, Italian Alps |
| price: | From £495 - £790 per week (sleeps 6) |
 | View availability here |
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description
This is a lovely three-bedroom self catering holiday home in the Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border. We are about halfway between Lake Como and St. Moritz - at the end of Engadina, a beautiful valley that gets 320 days of sunshine a year.
The house is perched in a medieval village on a sunny hillside 10mins above Chiavenna, with a splendid view over the mountains.
Around are some of the largest national parks in the Alps, covering 2000Km2 within Italy and Switzerland. The parks contain many protected species of wildlife including Golden Eagles, Ibex, Bearded Vultures, Capercaillie and Fire Salamanders.
The area has some of the most dramatic granite mountains in the Alps. From the restaurant of nearby Palazzo Salis in Soglio you can see the north face of Pizzo Cengalo (a sheer granite wall over a kilometer high), the famous Piz Badile (where mountaineering legend Cassin pioneered routes) and the spires of the Sciora peaks.
You will eat well here. There are an abundance of fine restaurants, mountain refuges and ‘crotti’ (the famous cave restaurants of the area)
Winter holidays and skiing accomodation:
For those who love the mountains but don’t like big ‘commercial’ ski resorts, this house is ideal for a winter holiday. You can ski from nearby St Moritz and a good Italian resort called Madesimo. But you will also enjoy staying in a medieval mountain village. You wont find après-ski here, but you will find some of your neighbours keeping goats under their houses! This is a beautiful area in the winter, and we suggest ways to explore the dramatic local mountains, where to enjoy good Italian cooking, and other lovely things to do away from the slopes.
Walking accommodation:
We have been pounding the footpaths for you and written detailed descriptions of the best walks in the area. Our guide includes a range of walks from ‘potters’ and strenuous hikes, we’ve suggested routes for every season.
Suggested activities:
Winter/Spring A couple of days skiing at Madesimo and a day in St Moritz A day exploring Pianazzola and Chiavenna, walking up to Crotto Belvedere for lunch in a 'cave restaurant' in front of their roaring fire A wintery walk past the ice falls of Val Febbraro A visit to the wildlife observation centre in Orobie National Park Lunch in Soglio (CH) and a walk up the dizzy granite peaks in Val Bondasca A day on Lake Como - wander through the narrow streets of Varenna, before having a lakeside pizza
Summer/Autumn
A day exploring Pianazzola and Chiavenna, walking up to Crotto Belvedere for lunch Lunch in Soglio (CH) and a wander up Val Bondasca to see the dizzy granite peaks A day in the Swiss National Parks looking for Golden Eagles and Ibex A spectacular day canyoning in Val Bodengo A day on lake Como - take the car ferry from Bellano to Menaggio and then wander around the lovely gardens of Villa Carlotta
The house is perched in a medieval village on a sunny hillside 10mins above Chiavenna, with a splendid view over the mountains.
Around are some of the largest national parks in the Alps, covering 2000Km2 within Italy and Switzerland. The parks contain many protected species of wildlife including Golden Eagles, Ibex, Bearded Vultures, Capercaillie and Fire Salamanders.
The area has some of the most dramatic granite mountains in the Alps. From the restaurant of nearby Palazzo Salis in Soglio you can see the north face of Pizzo Cengalo (a sheer granite wall over a kilometer high), the famous Piz Badile (where mountaineering legend Cassin pioneered routes) and the spires of the Sciora peaks.
You will eat well here. There are an abundance of fine restaurants, mountain refuges and ‘crotti’ (the famous cave restaurants of the area)
Winter holidays and skiing accomodation:For those who love the mountains but don’t like big ‘commercial’ ski resorts, this house is ideal for a winter holiday. You can ski from nearby St Moritz and a good Italian resort called Madesimo. But you will also enjoy staying in a medieval mountain village. You wont find après-ski here, but you will find some of your neighbours keeping goats under their houses! This is a beautiful area in the winter, and we suggest ways to explore the dramatic local mountains, where to enjoy good Italian cooking, and other lovely things to do away from the slopes.
Walking accommodation:
We have been pounding the footpaths for you and written detailed descriptions of the best walks in the area. Our guide includes a range of walks from ‘potters’ and strenuous hikes, we’ve suggested routes for every season.
Suggested activities:
Winter/Spring Summer/Autumn
travellers' tales
There’s so much to do within an hour of the house. The house itself had fabulous views and was well equipped and comfortable. Excellent. We were travelling with a baby and the house was all set up with cot, highchair, toys, etc for us. (more)
rooms, food and facilities
Log fire, central heating, CD player, kettle, iron, cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine, dish washer, balcony / terrace area, 3 bedrooms (1 double, 2 twins, sleeps maximum of 6). Linen provided, highchair available. Family friendly: We have made the house safe for families by installing safety gates at the tops of the staircases. We have a cot and a high chair for babies and small children. There are childrens toys and wooden puzzles in the house for guests to use. There is a CD and cassette player. We can also recommend family activities in the area.
Pet friendly: We are happy for guests to bring pets provided that the hirer agrees this beforehand with us.
how to find us
By car: The house is situated in the mountains close to Chiavenna - halfway between lake Como and St Moritz in Switzerland. By air: It is 90mins by car from Milan or the from Milan’s airports - Linate, Malpensa or Bergamo airport.
By train: The nearest train station is Chiavenna, 3km away.
how this holiday makes a difference
 With the help of local craftsmen, we have restored a traditional mountain home on the Swiss-Italian border. The walls are several feet thick and we even have granite slabs on our roof instead of tiles, however we also have double glazed windows, electricity from hydroelectricity and one of the most modern stoves available that uses recycled paper pellets to heat the house. We are the only guest house in the village and as well as buying and restoring the house, we employ local people to clean and cook. Close to the house are some of the largest National Parks in the Alps for you to enjoy. We help to support them by paying 5% of our income to Orobie National Park. We also participate and help organise voluntary work in the park, which is less common in Italy than it is in the UK. We will give you information to help get to know the mountains and the National Parks better: on our website and in the house. You can also visit the visitor centres of the parks and get involved in activities such as guided walks.  We will help you to reduce your impact on the local area. To conserve water, you’ll find a shower (a good one!) in the house rather than a bath and toilets with reduced water flush. Split waste disposal is available in bins at the entrance to the village (paper, plastic, cardboard, glass) and further split waste disposal (organic, metal) is available 6 days a week in the local town. Our accommodation provides self catering holiday home in the Alps that allows you to relax and enjoy a responsible approach to holidaying. |
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