With their jagged summits, Italy’s Dolomiti mountains appear on the horizon line like the chaotic, zigzag spikes of an electrocardiogram. Fittingly, the region is home to plenty of heart-stopping treasures: Breathtaking snow-covered peaks, 750 miles of ski slopes, and hiking trails, some of the steepest and wildest in all of the Alps, that pique a feeling of adventure.
Head down to the many towns sprinkled throughout the foothills, however, and you will discover an equally-thrilling, if less discussed, art and design scene. From historic ceramic pieces to forward-looking, raw-wool berets, this Italian-German-Austrian mashup of skiing and shopping is an intercultural and intergenerational delight.
Edeltraud
Located in the village of San Candido, on the edge of the Austrian border, this boutique has perfected the art of dressing well for all seasons—even those brutal winters through its curated collection of up-and-coming Italian brands. For summer, try Florentine Reinhard Plank’s straw hats. For Winter? Vicenza brand Forte Forte’s structured cashmere-wool coats. The minimalist handbags by Dolomites-native Sylvia Pichler are made of repurposed materials and designed for year round. Senfter Square, Alter Markt 2, San Candido
Manufakt
The heart of South Tyrol’s hygge culture, this San Candido shop’s calling card is natural materials, simple lines and warm textures. Handmade paper crafts, raw wool berets, and miscilaneous minimalist housewares are derived from hyper-local materials and age-old methods. The assortment of earthy ceramics by Veronika Thurin and sculptural, carved-wood bowls by Christian Mittendorfer are just some of the alpine modernism on display. Peter Paul Rainer-straße 4, San Candido
Trodele
Collectors Franco and Ivan have devoted their lives to tracking down beautiful, rare and quirky antiques. Their shops in Bolzano and San Candido are veritable treasure chests of curiosities. You will just as easily walk away with a 19th-century Sorrentine coffee table as a Soviet-era pocket watch. The owners’ extensive collection of historic Thun ceramics, made locally in Bolzano since the 1950s, from the silly (a clown playing a trombone to a tiny) to the sleek (blue-and-yellow Vespa). Via Leonardo da Vinci 20 / e 39100 Bolzano; Via Peter Paul Reiner 24, 39038 San Candido
RuralUrban
This multidisciplinary interiors firm is known for alpine design so fresh you can practically smell the pine needles. At the company’s Bolzano workshop, that aesthetic is expressed in traditional furniture and décor that’s been spruced up with a subtly contemporary update. The Motz chair, for instance, is designed in the classic image of a Val Gardena milking stool, but with sleek brass joints and mid century-modern legs. The atelier also produces solid-wood beds, sofas upholstered in loden, a typical South Tyrolean fabric, and cabinets made specially for vinyl collections.
TonHaus
At this Bolzano studio, everything is as functional as it is beautiful, including necklaces made from delicate gold foil flowers strung onto silver wire and teapots covered in three-dimensional florals. For more day-to-day use, try the workshop’s matte-black porcelain dishes and p vases made of paper and clay. Via della Roggia, 28, Bolzano
Amalia Pernter 1896
This traditional leather goods shop in the village of Salorno proves that, however improbable, lederhosen has a place in modern-day fashion. Don’t dismiss the notion until you’ve had a chance to try the atelier’s made-to-measure leather trousers, dirndl dresses and wool vests. You can also pick up cozy knitted socks, woven and leather handbags, and, at the adjoining restaurant, risotto, ravioli, and fresh burrata. Piazza S. Andrea, 3, Salorno
