ART & DESIGN

Alpine Way

by W Magazine

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Castel Gardena, an austere 17th-century castle among the peaks of the Dolomites is the summer refuge of the Franchettis, one of Italy’s most aesthetically obsessed aristocratic dynasties.

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Photographer: Simon Watson

Castel Gardena, built in 1616 by the counts Wolkenstein of Austria, was rescued by the Franchetti family after World War I.

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Photographer: Simon Watson

Nearly every bedroom in the castle features an antique bed and a brightly-colored tiled stove, a traditional Alpine feature.

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Photographer: Simon Watson

Andrea Franchetti’s bedroom is pine-paneled in Alpine Renaissance style.

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Photographer: Simon Watson

Heraldic crests, baroque plaster reliefs and religious icons decorate the chapel.

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Photographer: Simon Watson

A view from the castle’s tower.