Valbruna Inn

Although Marco Tonazzi (a professional skier for 20 years) lives in Vail, Colorado, with his beautiful wife and two little girls, he frequently returns to the hamlet of Valbruna in to the northeast corner of Italy where he learned to ski as a child. He so loved this picturesque, traditional village, majestically-framed by the Julian Alps, that he, along with two brothers and a group of life-long friends, bought a long-neglected property. Working with a skilled architect, they totally renovated the building and created a charming, chalet-style hotel. It opened in 2002 and is a real gem. This is not an elaborate, sumptuous hotel, but rather a small, cozy, country village inn brimming with personality and unsurpassed, old-fashioned hospitality. The bar, which is the heart of the inn, is “home” to all the locals who gather here each day for a glass of wine, a cup of coffee, or just to chat. On the ground floor there is a pretty dining room, a cozy breakfast room with antique paneling, and a library with a collection of rare books on mountaineering and history. Each guestroom is unique in décor and size, but all are extremely inviting and ooze top notch quality in every detail. If you want to splurge, ask for the Jof Fuart—a large, attractively decorated guestroom with a fireplace, beamed ceiling, and a dazzling view of the mountain peaks.