Vigilius Mountain Resort

Vigilius Mountain Resort is set at the top of a mountain in South Tyrol, along the Italian-Austrian border. The hotel is accessible only by cable car, a 1500-meter ascent. The design of the resort itself is strikingly modern — blonde on blonde, lots of bare wood and exposed timbers, and a healthy dose of stone and concrete, blunting any tendencies toward log cabin-ness.

What makes Vigilius so special, though, is the isolation, the utter peace and quiet that follow from its location atop a mountain, no busy motorways or crowded palazzos — just forests, peaks, perhaps the sound of a cowbell in the distance. And the views are no less stunning than the aural environment — every room has a terrace with a view of either the Dolomites or Val d'Ultimo, the so-called Last Valley.

The rooms themselves are smartly decorated, again in wood and stone, but minimal and modern enough to avoid any rustic kitsch. A clay wall separates the bedroom and bath areas, and, cleverly, is more than a design feature — it’s heated internally, and in fact is there to warm the room.

There’s a spa, if that’s the sort of thing you’re into, a full service spa, offering the local specialty, which happens to be a hay bath, and does, in fact, involve bathing in hay. Two restaurants, the Private Dining Room (for guests only, as the name indicates) and the Vigiljocher Stube (catering to the mountain's day-tripping visitors) serve the local blend of Northern Italian and Alpine cuisines. Room service is also available, and comes in handy, as there’s not exactly a thriving café district outside the hotel's doors.

How to get there: Vigilius is located on a mountaintop, and is only accessible by a 7-minute cable car ride from the mountain base. Bozen/Bolzano airport is a twenty-minute drive away, and transfers are available to the cable car station at Lana. This transfer costs 38 euro each way. Transfers are also available from Milan (355 euro), Verona (200 euro) and Innsbruck (180 euro).