Hotel Overview
At the upper edge of Corvara in the Val Badia, beneath the watchful silhouette of the Sassongher peak, La Perla stands as it has for generations. Opened in 1956 by Ernesto Costa and still in the hands of his family, it offers a form of hospitality that is inherited rather than invented: intimate, unhurried, and rooted in Ladin tradition.
Long praised as one of Italy’s most magnetic destinations, the Dolomites remain a mountain chain without equal. In winter, ski slopes unfurl from La Perla’s doorstep, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski system that links valleys and cultures. Come summer, those same slopes yield to alpine meadows, winding trails, and craggy peaks that invite slow exploration. The towns here, with their spired churches and enduring alpine architecture, retain a strong, unmistakable identity.
In such a setting, where nature and tradition are so vividly present, crafting a hospitality experience that feels both refined and resolutely local is no small feat. La Perla achieves this rare balance, embodying permanence and understatement, with an atmosphere shaped by tactility, tradition, and a quiet confidence in its history.
When
Open from December through April and again from late spring until October, the hotel adapts to the mountain’s dual identity. Winter is for expansive skiing; summer is for hiking, cycling, and contemplation. Each season offers a different lens on the Dolomites, while the hotel provides a consistent promise: elegance anchored in authenticity. Where
At the upper edge of Corvara in Alto Adige, La Perla overlooks the iconic Sassongher peak while remaining connected to the village below. In winter, the hotel is a ski-in, ski-out retreat on the Dolomiti Superski Val Badia circuit, with immediate access to more than 1,200 kilometers of slopes. In summer, alpine meadows and dramatic cliffs create a softer landscape for hiking, cycling, and discovery. Corvara itself, though small, is alive with Ladin culture, its shops, bakeries, and cafés grounding the hotel in a heritage that is both alpine and distinctively local.
The Proprietors
The Costa family remains custodians of the hotel’s philosophy. Michil and Giovanna Costa guide its cultural and ethical direction, while their son Mathias oversees the day-to-day rhythm of operations. Their presence is discreet but tangible, shaping an experience defined less by opulence than by conviviality and a strong sense of place. The family’s wider projects include the nearby Berghotel Ladinia, Grand Fodá, and Posta Marcucci in Tuscany, as well as a farm in Calabria that supplies produce to the group in an ecosystem of properties connected by a common way to envision hospitality and connect to local culture and landscape.
The Design
La Perla’s architecture and interiors reflect a restrained elegance, witnessing a deep connection to the Ladin culture with details, inlays and decoration. Wooden beams, soft textiles, and neutral palettes evoke the materials of the Dolomites but most of all a tradition that gets lost in time, all over the hotel, you can sense traditions and history of the Ladin customs, from the use of frames and pictures depicting local habits and landscapes by local artists, objects made for local artistry like wood carving and baking and the classical Stübe, the woodfire heating system traditional of the Dolomites. Public spaces are a pivotal element at La Perla, inviting the guests to connect but also to retreat while being surrounded by the community of the hotel made of local hosts and guests. Communal lounges, dining areas, and bars are arranged to encourage interaction while floor-to-ceiling windows and terraces frame views of the surrounding mountains with cinematic precision.
The Scene
The atmosphere is lively without ever being forced. Guests can relax and linger in lounges or gravitate to the front-facing L’Murin, the hotel’s après-ski haunt serving perfect spritz, draft beers and nibble of sorts, in a mood is guided by rhythm and the people of the whole Corvara, usually reuniting here from 5PM ‘til late, whether in Winter of Summer. La Perla feels simultaneously social and serene, animated by detail and an enthusiastic sense of hospitality, it is a place where conviviality is natural, not staged.
