When you come from the plain and reach the mountains, you always feel respect for the magnificence of nature. Ulli Geiger and her family, who have been running Stella Stern hotel in Nova Levante since 1946, strongly believe this. Grandfather Johann took over this little hotel after WWII. With an innovative and visionary attitude, he sowed the seeds of tourism in this heavenly place at the foot of the Dolomites. Thanks to persons as audacious as him, Carezza soon became a destination for personalities like Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie. During their stay, Mr Geiger himself welcomed them as the town’s mayor, a public office he held for twenty years.

Today, Stella Stern is not just a resort, it is also a home you come back to after a journey. Ulli and her sister Veronica made some changes to the rooms according to their taste yet respected their initial identity, maintaining the cosy atmosphere of a family hotel. Its swimming pool was one of the first ever built on a first floor, a pioneering project their grandfather commissioned in the early 70s. Memories and gestures keep the bar alive; it oozes deepness. The hall resembles a private living room and makes you feel welcome. There are no guests here, only friends. Local suppliers are friends, too, who fill your breakfast with genuine and authentic flavors. Stella Stern is a journey among crystal skies, between the rocks of Latemar and its twin Rosengarten. The lake seems to collect the tears of these two giants, filling its abyss with all existing shades of green. There is so much quiet in nature, just like in the crystalline lens of an eye.

Words and pictures by Paolo Barbi.