In the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Site stands the ICARO, a retreat and energy oasis. Since 1936 ICARO has overlooked and lovingly guarded the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi at 1,900m above sea level. From the Cir peaks over the Langkofel/Sasso Lungo to the Kesselkogel/Catinaccio d’Antermoia and on to the Schlern/Sciliar, the view is always fascinating in a different way.
The ICARO is a place of power, embedded in the charming natural and cultural landscape of the Dolomites. Sculptural peaks rise up around the exciting new architecture, gifting the ICARO with a new design. Renewed yet respectful of its original structure, the new ICARO will welcome open-minded globetrotters from 1 July 2021, providing wondrous timetravelling experiences through art, nature, relaxation and architecture to satisfy longings of all kind.
Angelika Sattler and her family are the third generation to run the house. Raised on the alpine pasture, all family members live and love the mountain throughout the seasons and confirm that the ICARO is worth the trip. When Angelika adjusts her glasses with her radiant calm and her sense of hospitality, it is clear: you have arrived at the ICARO and you want to stay. Angelika takes care of every little detail, but she never loses sight of the big picture either, for it is her desire that every guest finds a haven of peace and a source of strength at once. The ICARO is not just a hotel, but a total work of art that touches you and that you want to visit again and again.
Curious and cosmopolitan travellers in search of the joie de vivre and inspirational journeys will love the ICARO. This place stimulates visitors to think differently. Where walls shift, rooms shape themselves into telescopes with a distant view. Where the unexpectedly creative embeds itself in walls and overlays itself, a wealth of ideas flourishes: the sophisticated, refined and sublime spirit of the house does not leave you untouched.
At the ICARO, one encounters the mountains and nature, but also pleasure, art, architecture, leisure and ultimately oneself. Here, the visitor enters chambers of wonder and rooms of change, where to discover the entertaining and the amusing: colours, shapes, patterns, and large, shimmering filigree that enraptures the observers for its details and makes them fall in love: amplitude is the source of new ideas, variety births diversity. The creative interventions of contemporary artist and Angelika’s husband, Hubert Kostner, further the inspiration across the building. Just like the architecture, the art is located in unexpected corners, where it inspires time and again.
The house reflects the concentrated tension of a flapping wing, yet it welcomes with dignified and open arms – just as if it were ready for an embrace.
“You fly, like Icarus”, guests called out to the former landlord of the ICARO when he jumped over a self-built ski trampoline in winter. The name inspired him, and he promptly decided to christen his alpine inn “Ikarus” or “Icaro”. This archetypal construction – a hut made of wooden trunks – is the inspiration behind the new architecture conceived and realized by Modus, the renowned architecture studio from Brixen/Bressanone. The use of sustainable materials and the fruitful collaboration with local craftsmen transformed ICARO into what it is now. Spacious rooms and rituals are distributed over three levels and become part of the alpine pasture through intelligently conceived insights and views. The hotel offers every visitor a suitable, private place where to rest, retreat and recharge at its own pace. The ICARO is a vibrant and lively place to enjoy and dream, to meet and discuss, to move around, to ponder, do all or nothing … From 1 July 2021, this refuge on the Alpe di Siusi will inspire discerning guests and write stories together with them after a careful renovation.
The Host Family The ICARO radiates liveliness and stature, just like its hosts. Angelika Sattler and her family together with the entire ICARO team, respect all that surrounds them: the people, but also the Alpe di Siusi and the Dolomites with everything they have to offer. The hosts are passionate about fulfilling every guest’s desire for relaxation and freedom. Time spent at the ICARO is meant to inspire, give peace and strength, and provide pleasure.
The ICARO, which re-opened in 2021, shows how much attention is paid to finesse and aesthetics. Old traditions are savantly brought into the present. Quality and goodness stand for the style and sensibility of the hosts.
Angelika has a clear vision and a goal in mind: the ICARO. Her brother Alexander, an experienced mountain guide, knows every corner of the Alpe di Siusi, and his knowledge and feel for herbs is impressive. Sister-in-law Stéphanie responded to the call of the mountains and has come to stay. Angelika’s mother Irmgard talks about what has been to articulate what is yet to come. As an artist, Angelika’s husband Hubert always skilfully challenges the norm. Two beloved individuals whose dedication helped shape the ICARO have since passed away: Grandma Berta and Angelika’s father, Walter. Grandma Berta, a courageous pioneer, was responsible for laying the hotel’s foundation, and Walter was a beloved host, a hiking guide and a conscientious hunter. His love for nature and passion for protecting the region’s flora, fauna and secrets have left a lasting legacy.
The ICARO loves to write stories, both old and new. When young Berta first came to the Alpe di Siusi in the Fifties, she was enchanted. Work drew the visionary woman away from the Sarntal valley. On the Alpe, she worked for a few years at the Ikarus refuge, which was built in 1936. Soon, she and her husband Andreas took over the Almgasthaus, and in 1971 they went on to purchase it. Less than fifteen years later, daughter Irmgard followed with her husband Walter. Together, the family kept on developing the house over the decades.
Today, Angelika – now the third generation of her family to manage the hotel – runs the place with their continued support. In 2019, she set out to reposition ICARO, filling it with unique elements, and reopened its doors in 2021.
The Architecture
The ICARO is a place of encounters between past and present. Both temporalities enrich, both inspire and aspire. In redesigning the ICARO, renowned architecture studio MoDus Architects from Bressanone went back to the solid original form of the mountain refuge as well as to its initial function. A masterful blend of the old and the new was born: trunks of larch wood envelop the house, which inevitably surrenders to its majestic surroundings. Trunks pile up, cross, interlock, join to form struts, by giving shape and structure to the winged roof.
Larch on the outside. Spruce, oak and elm on the inside. Wood holds centre stage in the successful accomplishment of the renovation works. The winged wooden cloak of the ICARO recalls the forests that frame the mountains; all the same, it draws on the bravura of local architecture dating back to thousands of years. Powerful and protective in equal measure, the monopitch roof opens towards the south. A temple on a mountain under the open sky: it is as if guests were listening to a dialogue between nature and architecture.
Although the ICARO is architecturally striking, it quietly withdraws in awe of the imposing cultural and natural landscape of the Alpe di Siusi. During the renovation (2020-2021), it was important for the Sattler family to use sustainable materials, to involve local craftsmen and to safeguard authenticity. An easy task for MoDus Architects: in designing contemporary architecture with historical roots, the architecture studio demonstrated great sensitivity and established a successful symbiosis with the clients. Cautiously and with great sensitivity, the house was gutted and brought into the here and now.
The interior of the new ICARO convinces with contemporary, inspiring and surprising elements. In the rooms and in the suites, in the restaurant and at the bar, as well as in the pool and spa areas, unexpected new designs come as a surprise. Astonishment spreads. While the entrance welcomes guests with an unusual wall, the smaller lounges greet visitors with a wink. Each room at the ICARO stands in its own stead and captivates the viewer: artworks and objects tell stories of people and places, revealing passions and rituals.
The interplay between indoors and outdoors, between insights and vistas, between preserving history and thinking new things, invites the guest to become part and parcel of the alpine pasture. The ICARO meanwhile becomes a refuge and a destination.
The Art
The ICARO inspires for its art too. This may well be due to the hosts’ great love of the contemporary: works of art find refuge within the raw walls of the underground car park, the swimming pool and the corridors to the rooms.
Hubert Kostner, Angelika’s husband, has left particularly striking marks in the ICARO: “Displacements and transformations play a central role in his artistic work. Materials and objects from the artist’s immediate environment are decontextualised and made readable afresh. His perceptive and individual perspective questions the everyday with sober subtlety. In his works, he unmasks original meanings and actual realities behind an idealistic worldview and sets our vision of the world straight.” (Claudia Klammer, curator)
With his artistic interventions populating the house, Hubert Kostner expands the perception of the landscape and the way we engage with it. On a yearly basis, he invites international artists to the ICARO for exhibitions, residencies and talks. Michael Sailstorfer opens the Art Wall with “Tear Dryer”, a sculpture made of glass and metal. The Berlin-based international artist playfully experiments with immaterial qualities such as smell, sound, energy and light and works his ideas into sculpture, installation, painting, performance and photography.
Hubert Kostner invites international artists to the ICARO for exhibitions, residencies and talks every year. The Art Wall in the ICARO’s entrance greets visitors with a regularly changing display of art installations, featuring pieces like Michael Sailstorfer’s “Tränentrockner Paris”, Jeewi Lee’s “Shadow Field No. 1” and Henri Haake’s “Beyond The Clouds”. In 2025, the wall will showcase Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg’s “IRIS H0067”, a welded, forged, yet whimsically crafted wall relief. Other artists and designers with works throughout the hotel include Federica Bubani and Andrea Merendi, Simone Eißrich, Elisa Grezzani, HÜTTE, Emi Ligabue, Carl Moser, NIVA Design, Gregor Passens, Patternhouse and Andreas Rier.
A complete work of art
Architecture, interior and art are not the only design elements in the hotel. The visual identity, the graphics, the imagery, the written voice and the overall communication also follow a fundamentally new approach and have from the very beginning. Each of the individual components interacts with each other, with the building and its guests. They come together to form a powerful hotel project with an unmistakable character that its guests can see, touch and experience. The architectural, design and artistic decisions and the graphic, linguistic and photographic elements make ICARO a complete work of art.
The Pleasure Rooms The Almhotel – a “temporary refuge” characterised by the elegance and exoticism of all things unique – offers special forms of living that make for fond memories. Like a chamber of wonders, the ICARO opens up to its residents anew every day. The architectural diversity of the house offers guests the possibility to enter rooms that match their current emotional state. In addition to the private bedroom as a haven of peace and retreat, every guest has a chance to explore further – should the Alpe di Siusi not be enough …
The restaurant, with views of the surrounding mountains, the inviting bar, the terrace and the cosy lounges all serve as gathering places where enjoyment and connection take centre stage. Here, conversations flow freely about the weather, art, fine wines, favourite massages and recommendations for books, music and cocktails. Guests share mountain stories and even delve into the lore of local field names. These natural, enjoyable spaces are designed to bring people together – whether for a leisurely brunch, a relaxed lunch or to savour the beauty of nature and the spirit of a holiday.
Food means culture and exchange, for it establishes bonds and triggers curiosity. Like the house itself, the curated selection of food and drinks available at the new ICARO inspires and invites on a contemporary culinary journey. Kurt Rier, the ICARO’s head chef from nearby Castelrotto, and his kitchen crew craft genuine, honest dishes and menus. From breakfast in the morning to dessert in the evening, they blend tradition with innovation, naturalness with pleasure and create soul-soothing culinary stories for the ICARO restaurant guests. When you sit down at the table with a good glass of wine after an eventful excursion in the mountains, when you relax after several jumps into the pool, when you unwind after some soothing spa treatments, all you wish for is to review the day and let your gaze wander outside, where light and shadow play and the Dolomites glow up at twilight.
Being on the Alp
At the entrance to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site of the Dolomites, at 1,910 metres above sea level, on the almost car-free Alpe di Siusi, lies the ICARO – an architectural gem on the Schlern high plateau.
The ICARO takes the privilege and responsibility of being located in the middle of a natural reserve very seriously. In 2010, the ICARO became the first climate-neutral hotel in the Dolomites. Sourcing its green electricity from hydropower, heating with gas, using environmentally friendly cleaning agents and compensating for CO2 emissions through certified climate protection projects, the hotel was awarded the EU Ecolabel for its sustainable and environmentally conscious management – a reward and a commitment to future generations and the planet.
Nature and the landscape around the ICARO – the Sella, Sassolungo, Sassopiatto, Pallaccia, Molignon, Rosszähne, Sciliar, Ortles and Puflatsch – are an extension of the main architectural body, protruding as if it were a balcony onto the world. Everything is within easy reach. Guests who like to move around on foot, on e-bikes or on skis, will revel on the Alpe di Siusi in summer and winter. Where the ski slope scrapes by the pool in the cold season, in the warm months guests facing the Schlern can enjoy the spectacle of the setting sun.
The ICARO is a place of contemplation in the heart of South Tyrol, on the largest high plateau in Europe. A place of strength with a view of the lush green of the alpine meadows and the silvery grey of the Dolomites.
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The Sattler Family
Architectural studio
Modus Architects was founded in 2000 by Sandy Attia (Cairo, 1974) and Matteo Scagnol (Trieste, 1968). The architectural studio has made a name for itself in the international arena through bold and diverse approaches. By integrating their different backgrounds, they are able to carefully study the site and setting for each project and translate it into architecture.
Project
‘In redesigning the ICARO, we returned to the original solid form of the mountain refuge and its original purpose, bringing together the old with the new. The building is clad in larch wood, devoting itself solely to its majestic surroundings. Wood planks and logs stack up, intersect, interlock, combine to form struts, and give shape and structure to the façade, supporting the wing-like roof.’ (Modus Architects)
Interior concept
ICARO is a kaleidoscope of contemporary, inspiring and surprising design elements, colours, shapes and patterns, allowing guests to see and feel the vibrant, lively hotel in all its glory.
Renovation 1 September 2020 to June 2021
Opening 1 July 2021
Location
ICARO is nestled at the entrance to the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site – the Dolomites – on the virtually car-free Seiser Alm in South Tyrol at 1,910 metres above sea level, standing alone, away from the crowds on Monte Piz, three kilometres from Compatsch, the mountain station of the Seiser Alm cable car and the main car park. This secluded location is truly one of a kind.
Rooms
The 29 newly designed or renovated rooms and suites are sure to sur prise you. Apart from the fantastic view, they inspire with unique interiors, works of art and unusual architectural design.
Rates
The rates are calculated per person and night
Focus, 21m², from 120€
Prisma, 33m², from 120€
Frame, 32m², from 120€
Reverb, 29m², from 133€
Focus Superior, 26m², from 133€
Lux, 32m², from 152€
Monocular, 30m², from 152€
Telescope, 30m², from 152€
Suite “Clouds”, 36m², from 175€
Grandangolo, 30m², from 175€
Suite “Feathers”, 39m², from 189€
Suite “Spuren im Schnee“, 35m², from 189€
Suite “Posta prioritaria”, 36m², from 189€
Inclusive services
Breakfast (7:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.)
Swimming pool (7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.)
Spa and wellness area
Small fitness room
Guided hikes and mountain tours (four times a week)
Rucksack with hiking map for the duration of the stay
Mountain bikes, e-mountain bikes for adults and children
Art Wall
Art tour through the hotel with Hubert Kostner
Shuttle service
Ski room
Internet
Additional services: Lunch (à la carte)
Dinner (menu or à la carte)
Massages and treatments
Spa: Indoor and outdoor panoramic pool with a view
Bio sauna with 60°C
Steam bath with 40°C
Relaxation room Infrared cabin
Kneipp station (hydrotherapy)
Mountain hay relaxation room
Opening hours
Swimming pool: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., daily
Saunas: 2:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m., daily
Restaurant
Kurt Rier, head chef at ICARO, combines traditional South Tyrolean dishes with modern elements. High-quality seasonal ingredients, as well as variety and quality, merge with regional recipes to create surprising and extraordinary dishes.
Sustainability
In 2010, ICARO became the first climate-neutral hotel in the Dolomites. It obtains green electricity from hydropower, heats with gas, uses environmentally friendly cleaning products and offsets its CO2 emissions through certified climate protection projects. The hotel was awarded the EU Ecolabel for its sustainable and environmentally conscious management.
ICARO HOTEL
Piz 18/1 39040
Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi
info@hotelicaro.com
hotelicaro.com
T +39 0471 729900