HERITAGE

Castel Maurn

St. Lorenzen - Italy

Eight suites inside a noble residence first recorded in 990, near Brunico, with breakfast brought to your door and a spa beneath the old stone vaults.

Pet Friendly

Pool

Room Service

Wellness

Massage

Bike Rental

THE SETTING

Castel Maurn stands in Moos, a small hamlet outside San Lorenzo di Sebato, where fields still surround the house, and the forest begins a few minutes away on foot. Brunico is close, the Kronplatz lifts are around five minutes away, and the road into Val Badia starts nearby. The residence was first mentioned in 990, while the name Maurn appears in documents from 1347. Over the centuries, the building served as a court, customs post, hunting lodge, tavern and even a sewing factory.

Walter’s great-grandfather bought the property in 1935 after losing the family farmhouse in a fire. Parts of the house were rented out, and Walter’s mother later ran a children’s residence and youth hostel here. Walter grew up on the upper floor and remembers 16 beds standing inside what is now the Albrecht Dürer Suite.

In 2020, he began a complete restoration with his wife Sabine. Old frescoes, coffered ceilings, parquet floors, timber panelling and stone vaults were repaired and brought back into view. Heating, kitchens and modern technology were carefully hidden inside the historic structure. Today, only eight suites occupy the large house. The wide corridors, window seats and old salons leave plenty of space between them, preserving the feeling of a private residence.

THE ROOMS

The eight suites range from 35 to 75 m². Each has a living area and a fully equipped kitchen, so they feel closer to private apartments than conventional hotel rooms. What makes them memorable is what survived from the old house. One has 16th-century timber panelling and its original wooden floor. Another has a painted bay window, a coffered ceiling and a freestanding bathtub. Upstairs, the former attic has become a bright loft overlooking the surrounding mountains.

The restored features sit comfortably beside velvet sofas, contemporary lighting and clean-lined kitchens. Colours are warmer and more playful than the usual Alpine palette, with pink tiles, brass, deep blue, yellow and patterned fabrics appearing across the different suites. The rooms are spacious, quiet and properly residential. You can make coffee before breakfast arrives, cook something simple in the evening or spend a rainy afternoon inside without feeling confined.

THE FOOD

Breakfast is delivered directly to the suite at the time chosen by each guest. The selection is ordered the previous evening and arrives with warm bread and pastries, eggs, fruit, yoghurt, muesli, cheese, cold cuts and regional products. Coffee and tea are brought separately, or guests can prepare the first cup themselves in the kitchen.

Castel Maurn has no restaurant. Sabine and Walter instead help guests choose from the surrounding farm inns, mountain restaurants and more ambitious tables, then make the reservation. The house is also an official partner of Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, currently awarded three Michelin stars and a Green Star. A meal there requires planning well ahead.

For evenings at home, guests can use the communal kitchen and honesty bar, or arrange a private chef. The kitchens inside every suite also make a quiet dinner entirely possible.

THE STAY

The spa occupies the old stone-vaulted lower floor. It includes a Finnish sauna, steam bath, cold plunge and relaxation room, with tea, mountain water and small snacks available nearby. Outside, the garden has a heated pool, loungers and views across the fields towards the mountains. The pool opens during the warmer months and closes in winter. There is also a well-equipped gym and secure storage for skis, bikes and golf equipment, with tools, a workbench and boot warmers. Massages, hiking guides, ski instructors and private chefs can be arranged.

The house’s large scale and the small number of guests keep everything calm. You may see other people by the pool or at the honesty bar, but much of the stay happens privately inside the suite.

AROUND CASTEL MAURN

Castel Maurn has one of the most practical positions in this part of South Tyrol. You can ski in the morning, walk around Brunico in the afternoon and have dinner in Val Badia without spending half the day in the car.

Kronplatz is the nearest mountain. In winter, it is one of South Tyrol’s major ski areas. During summer, the lifts carry hikers and cyclists to the broad summit at 2,275 metres. Two excellent museums stand at the top. The Messner Mountain Museum Corones, designed by Zaha Hadid, explores traditional alpinism, while LUMEN is dedicated to mountain photography.

Brunico is only a short drive away and offers more than just practical errands. Its pedestrian centre has colourful façades, independent shops, cafés and a castle housing the MMM Ripa museum, which looks at mountain cultures around the world. San Lorenzo di Sebato has a much older story. The Roman settlement of Mansio Sebatum once stood here on the route through Val Pusteria, and the local archaeological museum explains life in the valley between around 100 BC and 600 AD.

Heading south, the road soon enters Val Badia, where Ladin language and culture remain part of daily life. San Vigilio, the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park and the villages of Alta Badia are all within reach. For a quieter day, walking and cycling can begin close to the house. The Val Pusteria cycle route passes through San Lorenzo, and forest paths rise into the hills behind Moos.

THE OWNERS

Castel Maurn is run by Sabine and Walter. For Walter, the house is part of his own childhood. He remembers its years as a youth residence, the rooms before they became suites and the corners where his family lived while other parts of the building were filled with guests. Restoring it meant deciding what to protect and what the house needed to work again. Historic paintings and timber were preserved, while the technology required by a modern hotel was quietly tucked behind the old walls.

Sabine and Walter host in a very personal way. They help with restaurants, skiing, walks, museum visits and day trips, and can arrange almost anything with enough notice. Their service is attentive without making the house feel formal.

GOOD TO KNOW

Castel Maurn has eight suites. All include a living area, a kitchen, a private bathroom, and a sofa bed for additional guests. Breakfast is included and delivered directly to the suite at the chosen time. There is no restaurant, but dinner reservations and private-chef services can be arranged. The spa, gym, parking, electric-car charging and ski and bike storage are included. The heated outdoor pool is unavailable during winter.

Children may be accepted upon request, subject to occupancy. Pets are also accepted by prior arrangement. Castel Maurn is near San Lorenzo di Sebato, around five minutes from the Kronplatz ski area and approximately 30 minutes from Alta Badia.

Rates start at €420 per night for two guests, including breakfast. The largest historic suites start from around €590.

THE ADDRESS

Castel Maurn

Moos 39
39030 St. Lorenzen
Italy

HERITAGE

Castel Maurn

Pet Friendly

Pool

Room Service

Wellness

Massage

Bike Rental

THE SETTING

THE ROOMS

THE FOOD

THE STAY

AROUND CASTEL MAURN

THE OWNERS

GOOD TO KNOW

THE ADDRESS

Castel Maurn

CONTINUE IN SOUTH TYROL

Pergola Residence

Langstrein Hof

Ostí Vedl

Haus am Turm