In search of the Good Life in Val Badia. For everything else is just a distraction.
A travel note by Hannes Offenbacher
“Vives!” they shout here—a toast that celebrates life—and we fall in love with it instantly. To life! To serenity! To this oasis nestled in the Dolomites, where the mountains whisper and the people have mastered the art of pausing. “Life is too short to be hurried,” Epicurus once said, and in Val Badia, this thought seems woven into the meadows, the forests, and the faces of the locals.
The Beacon of Coworkation: AMA Stay
Our base camp is AMA Stay, a place that leaves traditional alpine rusticity behind, creating a space of modern elegance for travelers and creators from all over the world. From the terrace, we gaze at the rugged peaks of the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and feel it: here, urban energy meets alpine silence. In the infinity pool, high above, the Dolomites are mirrored, while ideas sprout in the coworking spaces. We are told that guests from 54 countries have already worked, laughed, and lived here. Artists, too, find space at AMA Stay to present their work to fellow travelers. AMA Stay is ahead of its time—a lighthouse for coworkation, where laptops and mountain boots lie side by side as equals. And yet, it is not the building that captivates us, but the feeling: the freedom to simply be.
The Ladin Soul of St. Vigil
From AMA Stay, we roll through St. Vigil on our e-bikes, and the tranquility of the village embraces us. Old wooden houses with vibrant flower boxes line the streets, children play in the village square, and a farmer leisurely leads his cows across the road. No rush, no noise—only the faint ringing of a church bell and the laughter of people chatting in front of the bakery. This relaxed authenticity, the Ladin soul of Val Badia, makes us stop in our tracks. An older man waves to us, a smile that says: “Take your time.” Everything here is real, unpretentious—like a deep breath after a hectic day. The village lives to the rhythm of the mountains, and we feel ourselves surrendering to this beat.
Between Emerald Meadows and Silver Rocks
We glide further into the Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park. It is a difference like night and day compared to previous tours without a battery. Back then we panted; today we enjoy. The Fanes Alps open up like a painting: emerald-green meadows, silver-gray rocks glowing in the sun, and in between, a small lake holding the clouds like a mirror. The pedals hum softly, we breathe the crisp air, and the peacefulness of the high valley cradles us. Compared to the Puster Valley, where cars and haste often reign, Val Badia is a sanctuary that welcomes lovers of South Tyrol with open arms. The Ladin culture, with its language, its legends, and its “Vives,” permeates everything—an invitation to celebrate life consciously, hedonistically, yet with profound depth.
Wine Culture at 2,000 Meters
High up at the Lavarella Hut, we experience a moment that will stay with us for a long time. On the terrace, glasses sparkle in the sun, and opposite us sits a group from the USA ordering a chilled bottle of Kerner. The waitress, with the grace of a sommelier, opens the bottle as if we were in a fine wine bar—yet we are sitting at over 2,000 meters, in a hut where the wind kisses the Dolomites. This blend of alpine simplicity and sophisticated wine culture is magnificent.
South Tyrol’s wines are not a side dish here; they are the protagonists. Even at this altitude, where Gábor, the junior innkeeper, brews zesty wheat beer and naturally cloudy lager in his microbrewery, wine stands for pure indulgence. “Vives!” we shout with the other guests as our glasses clink, feeling how this toast puts life right at the center of everything.
The Art of Belonging to Oneself
The wine culture of South Tyrol, deeply rooted yet cosmopolitan, shows itself up here as well. Anna, Gábor’s wife and a sommelier, recommends a Pinot Blanc that pairs perfectly with the “Gnocchi della Nona” her mother creates. The hut, once a simple resting place, is now a venue where tradition and modernity dance—just like in Val Badia itself. Ladin roots, the family, the next generation playing in the meadows—everything breathes “Vives.” It is as if the region is gently reminding us: “Do not forget to enjoy life.” The philosopher Montaigne wrote: “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” In the Alps, in this high valley, this luxury seems tangible—an obligation to shape life consciously, with a glass in hand and eyes on the mountains.
Our e-bike tour continues past fascinating rock formations that rise into the sky like sculptures. Sometimes gray, sometimes reddish-gold in the evening light, sometimes framed by deep green firs. The Fanes-Sennes-Prags Nature Park is a play of colors, a place that calms the soul and clears the mind. Back at AMA Stay, where international guests exchange stories at the bar and artists fill their sketchbooks, we feel it: this high valley is always an ascent—an escape from the hustle and bustle. It enchants us, every single time.
“Vives!” we whisper softly as the stars light up over St. Vigil, knowing one thing for certain: we will be back.
