black and white picture of Hotel Briol in BarbianoJohanna Settari, the great-grandmother of the current owner of Hotel Briol with her family in a black and white photographblack and white photo of the kitchen of the Briol hotel in Barbianoyoung ladies sitting in front of the Briol Hotel in Barbiano in a black and white photo

History

Located high above the Val d’Isarco, above Barbiano and Bagni Tre Chiese at an altitude of 1,310 m, lies the BRIOL guesthouse, the EINÄUGL and the ISIDOR TREE HOUSE. It is a very special place with a very special history – a history shaped by strong women.

Even as a child, Johanna Settari, the great-grandmother of the present owner, was in love with the village of Tre Chiese and the secluded, beautiful forests and meadows all around it. She married a wealthy silk and china merchant from Bolzano who longed for a large family. Johanna agreed – on one condition: She did not want a piece of jewellery for the birth of her children, she wanted a plot of land on her favourite mountain – a place of yearning. She gave her husband 11 girls and 4 boys –and thus took over the whole of Tre Chiese child by child.

Johanna Settari’s great wish was to bequeath each child a house with its own plot of land. This way, the extended family could spend their summer holidays together. To make sure that this stayed that way, she gave her offspring three rules:

  • Only pass on the property within the family
  • No fences
  • Preserve, cherish and care for everything in the spirit of the mountain.

The groundwork for today’s collection of lodgings was laid by Johanna Settari and her son-in-law, Hubert Lanzinger, in 1928. The famous Austrian painter lived with his wife Pia on the slopes of Tre Chiese from 1923. He transformed the former mountain house with its gable roof into today’s BRIOL guesthouse. In keeping with the construction tradition, he created a house that was planned down to the last detail, focussing purely on the essentials. A flat roof, larch panelling for the upper floor, a balcony supported by four white columns. Inside, he continued his Lanzinger style: with a clear interior design, furniture and chinaware. Everything free of frills, everything rendered in wonderful simplicity – everything timeless. We have preserved it this way to this day.

Johanna Fink was only 21 when she took over the reins at BRIOL. She is now the fourth generation to manage the collection of buildings on the “Women’s Mountain”. All within the scope of her great-grandmother’s three rules – and much to the great joy of her guests who feel perfectly at home here on their mountain of yearning.