MICHIL'S NEWSLETTER
Out of mind but filled with joy
December truly is a wonderful month.
What would we do without December? Perhaps we would not be able to do this job that fate led us or, better said, that we choose to do every day.
We reopen the doors of our Case in the mountains – a reopening which always represents a special moment. Choreographers, scriptwriters and dancers weave a thread that creates our beautiful theatre of opening doors and jingling room keys. Every new season is preceded by so many thoughts, phone calls, meetings and details that begin a year in advance, ultimately leading to the big moment: when a guest crosses the threshold.
December is when we look forward to the holidays, the really good ones, take stock of the year, look forward to spending time with family for those who may often be far away, and make plans for the coming year. December is a month of great promises, a time of transition that allows us to close the chapters of a year that is coming to an end, to thank it or insult it, and then start a new year with reverence and curiosity.
The reopening is a big, intense and chaotic celebration.
Our colleagues are arriving. It is wonderful to meet again with those we have known for one, five or even thirty seasons, and it will be wonderful to meet, among the new faces, those who do not yet know what awaits them (!). The Casa will not meet every of their expectations but for many it will be a good refuge, a stronghold that will give them security, a place where we will learn a lot from each other.
There are always people who have never seen snow before and, more often than not, they are the ones who fall heads over hells in love with the Dolomites. One of our colleagues, who was born and raised by the sea, had only ever seen snow on postcards: he is still here with us, twelve years later. That is the power of the mountains, their spell lives on and on. Even if you don't go there often.
The Dolomites are an open-air cathedral. In the morning, the peaks are lit up in pink, and the snow muffles the sounds. In certain hushed silences, it almost feels like attending a liturgy: the sound of skis on snow, the crackling of the fire, a door opening, the buzz of voices in the hall.
The reopening of our Case goes beyond the start of the tourist season: it is a renewed promise to be there, once again, for those who want to give these mountains, and us, a piece of their time.
We also have some exciting news: our Gran Fodà has become part of Bio Hotels, embracing even more deeply an idea of hospitality in harmony with nature even more. And next to the Ladinia, from this season we are happy to welcome another Casa, the newly renovated Ciasa Teresa, ready to welcome new stories. And then there will be the Olympics, which we cannot fail to mention during evenings in front of the fireplace at the La Perla, but also in front of the one at La Posta, under the different sky of Tuscany, because our Case are far apart but connected by a single idea that points in the direction of Beauty.
The great thing about December is that it is also the month of the winter solstice. It is the shortest day of the year, the boastful yet brief triumph of darkness, because paradoxically it is precisely there that something is turned upside down. From the solstice onwards, the days stop getting shorter and finally start to grow longer. Every day we gain a little more light. December marks the victory of light.
And now December is finally here. First the feast of St. Ambrose and St. Nicholas, then the Immaculate Conception; Christmas is fast approaching, New Year's Eve will fall upon us all of a sudden, as if we had not seen it coming. And without realising it, we are caught up in the frenzy of the winter season, caught between arrivals and departures, tables to prepare, skis to pack.
In the midst of this constant movement, which seems eccentric but is highly organised, there you are, our guest, the fundamental element of our life of hospitality. Without you, the Dolomites would certainly still be majestic, but we would lack that human dialogue that makes everything real.
Yes, dear guest: you are the fundamental element of this life of hospitality. It is you who ultimately bring the houses to life, who give meaning to the work of those you do not see.
Shhh... silence.
Listen carefully: December has arrived. And with it, once again, the chance to start afresh.
.m
