Hotel Erica - Freedom in the Alps

A Trentino family, a mountain philosophy and 600 sqm of wellness in the heart of the Dolomites

Three reasons why you'll love it here

• Freedom in the Alps: guided hikes, yoga and a weekly activity programme run by the Stürz family
• FreeDOME Wellness: 600 sqm with a heated pool at 34°C, a Swiss stone pine sauna suite and a dedicated yoga shala
• Chef Walter's kitchen: three-generation Trentino recipes, a homemade breakfast buffet and dinners paired with local wines

Hotel Erica stands in Stava, a hamlet of Tesero, in a quiet position overlooking the Val di Fiemme with the Lagorai mountain range as a constant backdrop. More than a mountain hotel, it is the life project of the Stürz family, who have run a hospitality business across three generations, building an offer rooted in the local territory, wellness and authenticity.

Three generations, five faces

Everything starts with Walter and Anna, who developed the hotel in the tradition of a family of hoteliers. Today they are joined by their three daughters: Elena, who manages the reception and is the family expert on outdoor activities for children; Silvia, director of the FreeDOME wellness centre, specialist in treatments and a devoted sauna enthusiast; and Giulia, an internationally trained yoga teacher who leads mountain hikes and yoga sessions included in the stay.

Each family member has a defined, recognisable role. Guests, during the vacation, meet real people with names, faces and specific passions.

Freedom in the Alps

The hotel's guiding philosophy is called Freedom in the Alps, and it connects every element of the stay. Each week, the Dolomiti Point noticeboard near reception presents the activity schedule, colour-coded: green for guided hikes with Giulia through the Val di Fiemme trails, blue for yoga and meditation sessions, pink for wellness treatments led by Silvia.

Most hikes are included in the room rate. The Freedom Card Estate (summer) adds three yoga sessions, a sunrise on the Dolomites at 2,000 metres, a salt and mountain pine scrub, an infrared sauna session, a Wellness Bag with bathrobe and slippers, and a glass of Trento DOC sparkling wine on arrival.

The Fiemme Cembra Guest Card, included in summer stays, provides facilitated access to the Alpe Cermis, Pampeago and Latemar cable cars, along with over one hundred valley activities.

FreeDOME: the wellness centre

The hotel's wellness area covers 600 sqm across indoor and outdoor spaces, built entirely in Swiss stone pine (cirmolo) at Walter's initiative. The characteristic scent of cirmolo, known for its calming properties, permeates every room.

The adults' area includes a Finnish sauna also used for Aufguss sessions led by Silvia, a pine-scented bio-sauna, a steam room, a hydromassage pool and an infrared cabin for exclusive private use. The indoor-outdoor heated pool is maintained at 34°C year-round, with views of the Lagorai range. The Dryden water purification system keeps the pool clean without chlorine. Four relaxation zones, a herbal tea corner with local products, a sun terrace garden and a yoga shala for group and individual practice complete the offer.

Silvia personally selects the cosmetic lines used in treatments, natural, locally sourced, paraben-free, and tailors wellness programmes to each guest's needs.

Chef Walter's kitchen

Chef Walter runs the kitchen with an approach that moves from his grandmother Ilda's original recipes through to more contemporary interpretations. The breakfast buffet offers a daily selection of homemade preparations: Purpur flour bread, chia seed breadsticks, jams, including raspberry from his uncle's garden in Aldino, cakes, live-made crêpes and eggs cooked to order.

Dinner offers three pasta and three main course options, using local zero-kilometre ingredients and wines selected from Trentino and the Valle di Cembra. Summer evenings add special occasions: garden barbecues, outdoor polenta nights and candlelit dinners with live piano.

Vegetarian and food intolerance menus are prepared on request.

The rooms

Rooms fall into three categories: Mountain (20 sqm, up to 2 guests), Freedom (18-26 sqm in double and family configurations, up to 4 guests) and Alpen (30-50 sqm, up to 6 guests). All feature quality wood furnishings, forest-view balconies and soundproofing.

In 2026, the hotel introduced new Superior, Deluxe and Junior Suite categories, distinguished by Swiss stone pine wood panelling, open-plan bathrooms with contemporary lines and wide panoramic windows overlooking the valley.