Guicciardi Palace - a historic home in the heart of the Alps

A unique experience to spend a week at the Palazzo Guicciardi.

We had a wonderful stay here, in this incredibly characterful and historic house. To begin with the children found it a little overwhelming, being so old, but it was clean, warm and well equipped, and it was a perfect base for our week long holiday in this hidden away and interesting area. The kitchen was a joy to cook meals and to eat in - it felt like one had stepped into a period drama TV show! The living room was very comfortable, and the bedrooms perfectly fine. We enjoyed using the table tennis table, and the location of the house, so central in very charming Ponte in Valtellina, was great - we had the little grocery shop less than a minute's walk away, the ice cream shop two minute's walk away (although it closed for the end of the season part of the way through our stay - probably a good thing!), and various cafes, restaurants and bars within five minute's walk. The cobbled streets of Ponte are quite lovely, and the views from here absolutely spectacular. The house's location gives many opportunities for exploration - we thankfully had a car for the week - suggested drives: visit the Alpe Gera dam (the drive there is incredible, and the dam is an awesome sight); drive into Switzerland up to St. Moritz, over the Bernino Pass (much cheaper than the Bernino Express, and you can stop when you like - stop at Poschiavo for a coffee and some food, and enjoy the change in architectural style, and other contrasts, but be aware that there's nothing cheap about St. Moritz that we could find!); drive up to the Stelvio Pass, than take the cable car up to the top station (it's truly spectacular, and to watch people skiing was quite a surprise - the whole drive and visit was a highlight); explore some of the hidden valleys not far from Ponte, including the Val Fontana (you won't see many people up here, and once you've parked as far up as you can, keep on walking, as it's very beautiful). We also enjoyed visiting Tirano - the Parravicini was superb, and for great pizza, try Il Braciere. Finally, we can't thank Marco enough (our host), for his very warm greeting, and the fact that he spent nearly an house showing us around and answering all our questions. He also gave us some lovely local food and drink - the salami and honey were amazing! Thank you Marco - we highly recommend that others come and stay at your house in Ponte, especially if they want to get off the beaten track a bit.

We absolutely loved our time at the palazzo and in the Valtellina Valley. The home is beautiful, warm and charming, and the host is lovely and particularly helpful and attentive. We have stayed at many (many!) homes over the years and this one is especially unforgettable because of its unique beauty (this is a stately home, with beautiful furniture, large rooms, and lost of space to sprawl out and relax) as well as its undiscovered (worthy of millions of tourists, but in fact very few) location and hosts. Truly wonderful - highly recommended.

Ponte in Valtellina is a small, rustic village in a beautiful mountainous setting. It's people are warm, helpful and welcoming. In among the village's cobblestoned narrow streets is the Palazzo Guicciardi, the ancient family home of the family by the same name. Its walls are a metre or more thick, timber floors are polished and worn by the traffic of people over hundreds of years, and it is filled with antique furniture, family portraits of ancestors and all sorts of interesting items, some of which were a mystery to us. Our host, Marco, made us feel very welcome and provided us with a tour of the Palazzo, explaining as he went. He also provided us with a welcome "pack" of local produce including breads, butter, milk, salami, yoghurts, jams and juice. It was an unexpected treat. Also provided was information about the house, the village, the local facilities and services, recommendations for places to eat and to visit. This was very useful. We had a very peaceful, relaxing and wonderful stay and highly recommend it to those who are looking for something unique.

The house is absolutely stunning. You feel you have taken a step back in time, yet you have all of the modern amenities. The owner was most gracious by giving us a tour of the expansive property with historical explanations, providing local products and fruit and making dinner reservations at a wonderful restaurant next door. We highly recommend this property.

"Our group, consisting of 8 cyclists, was lusciously accommodated in this historic building and its annex. The maze-like main house is of stunning beauty, which surpassed our expectations based on the photos we saw beforehand. Also, the owner was very kind (and patient) to show us around town on arrival day. Highly recommended!"

"We strongly recommend to stay in this wonderful palazzo. It''s like stepping back into time with all the comfort of today. The house is clearly restored with great care and love and one gets a lesson in history just by being there. The welcome is warm and a welcome package with regional products is provided by the owners. They know the area well and provide a lot of interesting information for your stay (things to do and to see, close by and also further away and also the really interesting history of the palazzo). We for example did the train ride through the alps which the owner highly recommended and he was right! A real must! You don''t have to go this far to have a good time though. Just walking in the village and the surrounding mountains is a charm. Also Sondrio is not that far away and a nice city to visit. Next to all the lovely things to visit we loved the good Valtellina food, wine and juice. Again we would like to thank the owners for their good care and giving us the opportunity to stay in this amazing palazzo."

"Palazzo Guicciardi is a unique fantasy stimulating old haven in a very tranquil surrounding. It takes some time not to get lost in the 240 m2 living area with large shielded outdoor areas. Everything was excellently provided by the owner Marco - the beautiful spacey kitchen was very perfectly equipped. The cobble stone street Via Chiuro with next to no traffic was very beautiful with fruit orchards leading down to Chiuro. The surroundings offered all the services you needed. The next door restaurant was very good. Palazzo Giuccardo constituted the perfect hub for visiting the different parts of the beuatiful Valtellina area."