A former 16th-century hunting lodge for Italian aristocracy, White Deer San Lorenzo is one of the few luxury rental chalets in the Dolomites. This is extraordinary, given the region’s dramatic topography, its different pockets of utterly charming traditions and cockle-warming, locavore food scene. Lucky, then, that White Deer taps into these, offering top-notch Italian cooking (breakfast is knocked up from the neighbouring farms’ eggs, cheese, milk and bacon), and experiences such as mushroom-foraging in the woods surrounding the chalet or exploring the region’s wineries. Aside from its time-warp exterior – a whitewashed characterful building studded with little windows that pull in sharp, unfiltered light – the most striking feature of this chalet is its blissful isolation. We particularly like the knockout valley views it commands, despite being only 15 minutes away from the pretty pine-forest runs and sweeping pistes of Plan de Corones.
Inside, the house’s heritage has been honoured by owners Giorgia and Stefano Barbini’s skilful and simple renovation. A traditional Tyrolean Stube parlour sets the tone – an artful fusion of classic cosiness and a restrained, modern aesthetic. Twee curtains frame fairytale windows in an otherwise uncluttered dining room panelled in ancient wood collected from old farmsteads, a focal-point cowhide sofa offers a more contemporary take on the Alpine classic, and an intricately carved mahogany bed dominates one of the bedrooms, a noble stroke against the plastered walls and Swiss pine. Soft, amber lighting respects the building’s vintage, as does the cellar and Finnish sauna, a steamy microcosm of the rest of the chalet’s design.
Website: merrioncharles.com
Sleeps: 10
Price: From £15,000 per week, fully catered
