Almdorf Seinerzeit: A weekend in an adorable mountain chalet

Snow covered mountains, the sweet silence of the night, a star covered sky and a warm and welcoming chalet, heated by a log stove. It’s not a dream, even if it was so for me until I arrived at the Falkert in Carinthia, a 40 minute drive from Villacco, at the foot of the national park of Nockberge.

It’s a sensational place that leaves you speechless (and believe me, it’s not something that I often experience!). What dazzled me most was the open view onto the valley below and onto the side of the mountain, where all the wooden chalets are. A dream-like location, straight from a postcard, where I spent unforgettable days.

The Almdorf Seinerzeit - this is the name of the enchanted place where I spent this fabulous weekend – is a small “village” with an old part and a more recent part, that was opened last October. Graveò pathways twist through it, leading you to the different wooden houses. Some of them are private homes and some are spa areas. There’s also a chalet with the “smallest restaurant in the world”, dedicated to dinners exclusively for two people, and the restaurant Kleeangerle Inn, that I’ve already told you all about.

At the Almdorf you move around mostly on foot, between gardens and ponds, except for the service staff that uses electric cars. In fact they are very careful about the environmental impact, so they use wood from the area and the heating of the village is independent, run with logs from Malta (a place nearby).

They have different chalets, large and small, depending on your different needs. I chose a small one, perfect for two adults and (eventually) a child. Come in with me for a look…

It’s on three floors: on the ground floor there’s a living room with a small accessorized kitchen, with both an electric stove and a wood stove; on the floor above there’s the main bedroom with a sofa (or an extra bed) and a wonderful balcony, and in the basement there’s a bathroom built in stone and wood.

After a night spent observing the stars in this dream like location, the wakeup call is just as good. Two gentlemen with a wooden basket filled with the best delicacies of mountain cuisine, served us breakfast in our room. Just wonderful, you can book your breakfast the evening before at the reception, deciding the exact time and if you’d like tea or coffee. They bring all the rest!

They cook your eggs on the spot (depending on how you prefer them), while in the basket they have fresh fruit juice (raspberry, mango, orange), homemade jams, cold cuts and cheese from local farmers, fresh yogurt, black bread and much more…have a look!

But if you prefer you can have breakfast at the restaurant where they often serve “farmer’s breakfast” with all the traditional recipes coke on the spot. I was lucky enough to try that too!

For dinner instead, you can order choosing the dishes from the rich Carinthia menu. To feel part of the Austrian spirit I pulled out one of my Dirndls, which I love to wear during the more traditional holidays.

After a few walks, skiing and a spa treatment at the Almdorf the days went by pretty fast and my stay is almost over. But I’ll definitely be back soon; after all there are still many stories to write and tell.

Ph. Andrea Zangrando