Our Story:
The first stone
Rosa Alpina’s first stone was laid in 1850, when a vidum, a parish priest house, was built using a donation made to the Church by a prosperous San Cassiano family. The parishioners ran a small restaurant in the house, and offered lodging to guests.
At that time San Cassiano had little more than 100 inhabitants and the village consisted of the church, the vidum, the school, the sexton‘s house and about ten cabins in the mountains.
During WWI
Between 1915-1919, San Cassiano played an important role in the First World War.
It represented the last Austrian bastion before the front, therefore all provisioning for the Emperor’s troops had to pass through the village.
The ‘Alpenrose’ parish church-hotel, the only public place in the village, was in those years an important meeting point for soldiers and officers, and also the centre for all social events. In 1920, the name was changed to the Italian – Rosa Alpina.
In the 1930s, tourism increased, and farmers began to convert farm buildings to rent rooms to guests.
During WWII
Tourism in the area was arrested in 1939 by the Second World War. The villages in South Tyrol became smaller due to the “Option”, an agreement between Hitler and Mussolini that saw the South Tyrolean people faced with a difficult decision: To remain in their homes which meant agreeing with the Italianization of the area, or to leave South Tyrol.
Some people moved to Germany and Austria, while others migrated elsewhere. The pasture huts which had been abandoned were purchased by an authority similar to a state office and then sold again.
In 1939, the Schifferegger family moved to Austria and Mariangel Pizzinini, who already owned the Teresa Hotel, decided to rent Rosa Alpina from the state office.
The 1950s
In 1950 the tourism industry was growing again, even though the summer season was only limited to August and the winter season to Christmas and Easter. In that period there was only one narrow country road connecting San Cassiano to the rest of the world. In winter, foreigners had to be taken from the post house in La Villa to Rosa Alpina on horse sleds.
1952: Rosa Alpina had its first telephone installed. Its phone number was 1.
1955: The hotel underwent its first renovation, with 20 beds added, and the road to San Cassiano was widened.
1956: Erich Kostner built the first ski lift in Corvara, spurring on the region’s development as a ski destination.
1957: The Pizzininis built the first ski lift in San Cassiano. It was 150m long. Live music began to be performed for guests of Rosa Alpina for the very first time.
1959: A second ski lift was built, double the length of the first, and 20 more beds were added to the hotel. Mariangel Pizzinini built his second power plant, increasing electric power from 12 kW to 90 kW.
The 1960s
1961: A chairlift was built to the Piz Sorega, cementing the growth of the village and Rosa Alpina.
1963: Rosa Alpina opened the first food and sport shop in San Cassiano.
1966: Rosa Alpina opened ‘The Taverna’, the first ballroom for 200 people.
1968: Mariangel Pizzinini passed the Rosa Alpina to his son Paolo, who married Ulrike Frontull from La Villa the same year. They had four children: Barbara, Marlene, Michael and Hugo.
The 1970s
1970: After a further renovation, Rosa Alpina became a three-star hotel.
1977: The stables were transformed into the Apparthotel Rosa Alpina.
1979: Rosa Alpina first hosted the San Cassiano post office.
The 1980s
1980: The capacity of the two power plants was increased to 420 kW, providing San Cassiano with electricity almost the whole year round.
1986: Rosa Alpina’s Tavern was renewed and the dining room and terrace were added. At this point the hotel counted 160 beds.
1988: Rosa Alpina became a four-star hotel.
The 1990s
1991: Rosa Alpina’s hall and 20 rooms were renewed to an even more luxurious standard.
1994: Norbert Niederkofler joined the Rosa Alpina team. After having worked with some of the best chefs in the world, he returned to his roots to open Restaurant St. Hubertus.
1996: The Apparthotel was connected to the hotel, and the 25 apartments were turned into superior and suite rooms. A little corner of the Pizzeria was dedicated to the gourmet cuisine of Norbert Niederkofler and was eventually called St. Hubertus
1999: One of the mountain cabins owned by the Pizzinini family was restored.
The New Millennium
2000: Rosa Alpina became a member of Relais & Châteaux, and Restaurant St. Hubertus was awarded its first Michelin star.
2004: In March, Rosa Alpina organized the I. Chef’s Cup, an informal competition among chefs and wine producers. In April Hugo Pizzinini married Ursula Mahlknecht. Together they created the Sales & Marketing department of Rosa Alpina in order to market the property on an international level. The PR aspect working with agencies in UK, Italy and Germany, became an important aspect in creating visibility and brand awareness.
2006: January saw the second edition of the Chef’s Cup.
2007: Restaurant St. Hubertus was awarded two Michelin stars.
2008: The third edition of the Chef’s Cup was hosted in January; the wooden, nature-inspired ‘Loft Suites’ were completed in November.
2009: In March, Rosa Alpina became a five-star hotel. Stefania Bellè, joined the team. With her appointment as Hotel Manager, the reorganization started changing the family business into a company.
The Past Decade
2010: In February, Rosa Alpina’s Spa was awarded the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Award for “Best Hotel Spa in Europe, Asia Minor and the Russian Federation”. In the same year, Restaurant St. Hubertus became a member of “The Soste”, a renowned association of restaurants.
2012: In September, Rosa Alpina won the Food & Travel Readers Award 2012 as best international hotel.
2013: In October, Restaurant St. Hubertus became a member of “Les Grandes Tables Du Monde”.
2014: Châlet Zeno was built above the Restaurant Wine Bar & Grill.
2015: A new adults-only spa wing, library, games room (furbished with the original wood panelling from Jepele Frontull‘s living room, Hugo Pizzinini‘s great-grandfather), meeting room and 12-seat cinema are constructed.
2018: St. Hubertus is awarded three Michelin stars.
2020: Rosa Alpina becomes an Aman Partner Hotel.
