THE HOTEL OF TRADITION

The "Alpen Hotel Corona Sport & Wellness" has its origins in 1806, when Antonio Rizzi (1776-1848), an authentic "tourism pioneer" of the Fassa Valley, began its construction. Realising the interest that brought many scholars (mainly of English origin) to the Ladin valley of the Dolomites - rich in minerals, landscapes of extreme rarity and beauty, as well as a great variety of flowers - he decided, thinking about the future, to make the best of his land. Therefore, in order to buy the land where the Hotel Corona now stands, he had to sell a chariot full of minerals, driven by seven oxen, to a famous aristocrat as far as Innsbruck.

The name he chose for his house was "Osteria alla Corona d'Oro", where, with the passing of time, one renowned guest followed the other, amongst them the Empress Elisabeth (better known as Sissi) and the then English Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The name was later changed into "Albergo alla Posta", because there were stables for the change of the horses in the hotel. Thus, the stage-coaches coming from Bolzano via the Carezza Pass and leaving for the Sella-Val Gardena Pass and the Pordoi-Cortina Pass had relaxed horses to continue their journey. Among the descendants alternating in running the hotel business, some stood out as excellent alpine guides while others dedicated themselves to the renovation of the hotel. An outstanding figure was Gustavo Rizzi, who applied his innovative ideas as soon as he had returned from abroad. After having refurbished the building, he enhanced the value of the surrounding territory with an equipped park and finally changed the hotel's name into "Parc Hotel Corona". He also actively contributed to the town development. Thus, after having married Linda, the daughter of the famous painter from the Fassa Valley, Francesco Rizzi, he built one of the first cableways in the valleys of the Dolomites, the one leading to the Catinaccio summit. The succession of famous guests has continued until nowadays. Currently, the "Alpen Hotel Corona Sport & Wellness" is known as the "Hotel of the Champions", because of the constant presence of Formula 1 pilots, football teams in retreat, world-famous cyclists, and Olympic-winning swimmers and divers. Alpine and Nordic Skiing athletes are the most frequent guests. Still nowadays, Alberto Tomba and Gustav Thoeni, as well as many other memorable friends who practised on the Fassa Valley slopes, come back to the "Alpen Hotel Corona" to greet the Rizzi-Anzelini family.