Castel Badia
San Lorenzo di Sebato, Italy
★ Verified by our editors · September 2026
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The verdict
Count Otwin founded the Sonnenburg in 1039 on a rock above the Val Pusteria, and for centuries it was a Benedictine convent; it became a hotel in 1974 and has been reworked into a five-star house around its courtyard, cloisters and a pool on the edge of the rock. One MICHELIN Key, and the Plan de Corones ski area a few minutes away.
A castle stay with serious skiing on the doorstep and history in the walls.
You want contemporary minimalism: this is a medieval castle, with the corridors to prove it.
Ask for a room in the oldest part, facing the valley, and take breakfast in the courtyard when the weather allows.
The rooms
Rooms and suites inside the castle and its wings, some with the original vaults and stube panelling, others lighter and newer, most facing the Val Pusteria.
The setting
On a rocky spur above San Lorenzo di Sebato, near Brunico, in the Val Pusteria, with the Plan de Corones (Kronplatz) lifts about ten minutes by car.
The food
A restaurant in the old stube and on the terraces, cooking South Tyrolean food, and breakfast in the courtyard in summer.
Getting there
About an hour by car from Bolzano and two and a half from Innsbruck; Brunico station is ten minutes away.
Good to know
The castle is a protected monument, so rooms vary in size and shape with the old walls.
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Castel Badia
From €450 · Booking.com affiliate