This New Luxury Hotel in Italy's Dolomites Used to be a Convent and Has 2 Pools, Original Frescoes, and Perfect Mountain Views

"My husband and I spotted Castel Badia from a distance as we drove through Val Pusteria, the scenic Alpine valley that connects Italy and Austria. Once we got closer, we ditched the car and hopped into a sleek electric golf cart that whisked us to the entrance of the 11th-century castle-turned-five-star hotel. Upon entering, I was immediately drawn to the lingering scent of pine, ancient wood, and the mountains."

"Castel Badia is a collaboration between hotelier Aldo Melpignano, the founder of the hospitality company Egnazia Ospitalità Italiana, the Kronplatz Group, and the Gasser and Knötig families. Melpignano, whose family also owns the award-winning Borgo Egnazia, brings the same warm energy that the Apulian resort is known for, though Castel Badia oozes a decidedly South Tyrolean vibe. Loden curtains framing mountain panoramas, wood-paneled Stube rooms, and upholstery fabrics from the nearby Moessmer textile factory anchor the spaces in its Alpine setting."

Castel Badia sits in Val Pusteria, the Alpine valley connecting Italy and Austria, and operates as an 11th-century fortress transformed into a five-star hotel. Visitors often arrive by sleek electric golf cart from the nearby road. Interior atmospheres emphasize pine, ancient wood, and mountain scents, and guests are offered Pinova apple juice from the Sigmund Schwarzelhof farm as a welcome. The property is a collaboration involving Aldo Melpignano, the Kronplatz Group, and the Gasser and Knötig families, with Melpignano bringing experience from Borgo Egnazia. Design elements include loden curtains, wood-paneled Stube rooms, and Moessmer upholstery fabrics. The original fortress dates to around the year 1000 and later became a female Benedictine convent housing wealthy cloistered nuns. An 11th-century frescoed crypt preserves ancient apses and painting fragments, and artists Raphaela Aurelia Sauer and Michael Meraner transformed the 12th-century Chapel of St. Gotthard ruins with an installation of mirrored surfaces and golden geome

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