FARM LIFE

Ostí Vedl

Longiarù - Italy

A 16th-century Ladin farmstead, with seven timber rooms, a tiny wellness garden and breakfast from the farm before heading into the Dolomites.

Farm Life

Organic

Wellness

Wine Cellar

Hike

Ski

THE SETTING

Ostí Vedl sits in Longiarù, a quiet side valley of Val Badia, inside the Puez-Odle Nature Park. The address feels different from the busier villages in the Dolomites. There are meadows, barns, old farm clusters, forest edges and the shape of Sas de Putia watching over the valley.

The house is one of the oldest farmsteads in the area. Its story goes back to the old village inn, a place where travellers, farmers and local people would stop long before tourism became part of mountain life. Today, Ostí Vedl is still built around that idea of welcome, only quieter, more intimate and beautifully restored.

The farmstead is a Ladin building on stone foundations, with a large timber structure, an old Stube, a kitchen, bedrooms above and a sense of age that has not been polished away. The wood creaks, the walls are thick, and the whole house feels rooted in the valley.

THE ROOMS

There are seven rooms at Ostí Vedl, each named after a member of Martin’s family. They are small tributes to the people who shaped the house before it became a guesthouse.

Severina, Franz, Maria, Oliva, Marghit, Giuvani and Veronica each carry a different story. Some names belong to grandparents, some to aunts, some to those who worked the land, left the valley, returned in summer, or held the family together. The interiors are almost entirely timber, with old beams, wooden floors, built-in pieces and a strong farmhouse feeling.

Severina is the closest to an apartment, with a sleeping area and living space. Other rooms are more compact and simple, better for guests who will spend most of the day outside. The feeling across the house is calm, warm and very wooden — in the best South Tyrolean sense.

Guests are asked not to wear shoes inside the house; on-site slippers are provided. Somehow, that small rule says a lot about the place.

THE FOOD

Breakfast is served in the old Stube, where Ostí Vedl really feels like a farm. The table is built around what the house and valley can provide: mountain butter, eggs, Speck, herbs, salad, onions, fruit, apricot and strawberry marmalades, elderflower syrup, honey, fresh bread, cheese, oats, coffee, milk and juices.

The breakfast is organic, and much of it comes from the farm or from nearby producers. There is no big-hotel-buffet energy here. The food is honest, generous and made for people who may be heading out for a hike, a bike ride, a ski day, or a long walk through the valley.

THE STAY

The wellness corner sits outside in the garden, with a Finnish sauna, jacuzzi, cold-shock tub, outdoor shower, and a hay bed made by Martin from hay from his own meadows.

The hay bed is the detail to remember. It could easily sound like a gimmick, but here it belongs to the farm. After a hike, the mix of warm wood, mountain herbs and the smell of hay feels very close to the place.

The farm is still part of daily life. Guests may wake to the rooster and church bells, see the animals, learn about the farm products, or simply watch the valley move through its work. There are meadows, vegetable patches, barns, haylofts, old tools and the slow routine of a place that has been lived in for centuries.

There is also ski and bike storage with boot warmers, which makes Ostí Vedl practical in every season. Summer brings hikes, bikes and long evenings outside. Winter brings snowshoeing, ski mountaineering and quieter days away from the main resort crowds. The old cellar adds another good part to the stay: Speck, wine, and the possibility of a proper mountain aperitivo before dinner somewhere nearby.

AROUND OSTÍ VEDL

Longiarù is one of the most rewarding valleys in Val Badia if you want the Dolomites without sleeping in the middle of a busy ski village. The valley is surrounded by the Puez-Odle Nature Park, with access to meadows, forests, mountain huts and high routes.

The Valle dei Mulini is close by, a small open-air museum of old watermills and rural life below the Putia meadows. The Larjëi forest, with its centuries-old larches, is another strong local reference, especially in autumn when the trees turn gold.

For hiking, the valley gives access to Antersasc, the Genova Hut, the Medalges and Putia meadows, and routes towards Sas de Putia. Some walks are gentle; others climb quickly into more serious Dolomite terrain. Local advice is useful before setting off, especially with weather changes.

In winter, Longiarù stays quieter than the main skiing centres, but the Dolomiti Superski area is still within reach. The nearest lift is at Piccolino, just over 5 km away by shuttle, connecting to the wider ski circuit. Ski mountaineering routes towards Cima Dodici and snowshoe walks across the Putia meadows are part of the slower winter side of the valley.

San Martino in Badia, Badia, Corvara, La Villa and San Vigilio are all reachable by car for restaurants, lifts, museums and exploring the wider Val Badia.

THE OWNERS

Ostí Vedl is Martin Costa’s project, but it also belongs to his family story. His father, Giovanni, dreamed of restoring the old farmstead and turning it into a guesthouse. After the Vaia storm damaged part of that dream, Martin continued the work and brought the house back with real patience.

Martin chose a difficult path: to restore an ancient Ladin farmstead in a quiet valley and offer only seven rooms, rather than building something easier, newer, or larger. The result has more soul than most mountain hotels because it has less hotel machinery around it. The hospitality is simple, direct and rooted in the valley. You feel welcomed into a farm, not processed through a mountain resort.

GOOD TO KNOW

The house is best for couples, families and travellers looking for a quiet farm stay in Val Badia, close to hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and Ladin culture. Breakfast is served from 8 am to 10 am, with earlier service possible on request.

Check-in is from 3 pm, and check-out is by 10 am. Guests are asked not to wear shoes inside the house (sleepers are provided upon check-in), and pets are not accepted.

Rates usually range from €300 to € 400 per night, depending on the season and room category, with a minimum stay of two nights.