Berghotel Kasern

Berghotel Kasern is a hotel in the municipality of Predoi and is located in the village of Casere, at the end of the Ahrntal valley in South Tyrol, north of Bruneck. In fact, it is the northernmost hotel in Italy.

Even in very ancient times it gave lodging to merchants and travelers who had to cross the Tauern Pass and the Forcella del Picco Pass. For this reason it is considered a protected historic building of the province and is one of the oldest documented buildings for inn use in the entire Tyrol.

In 1320 we read for the first time in the "Urbar" of the State Court of the Princes of Tyrol, which then included the Aurina Valley, of the presence of the Kasern hospice "Der Hof ze Chesern."

In 1609 the Kasr am Tauer was given a large area of land, called Brunnwald near Fonte della Roccia. The undertaking was to ensure the passage and access to the Passes of any wayfarer, lending them gloves, hats, bottles and other things that enabled them to overcome the weather. Wayfarers, once they had crossed the Tauern Pass, would leave the items given in use with the innkeeper of the Krimml hut. The latter were made available to wayfarers returning to Casere.

As early as the 14th century Casere was a thriving mining town from which copper was extracted. Miners who came from neighboring towns and then from all parts of the Empire found lodging and a place of refreshment at the Casere inn. The place itself got its name from the word ze Chesern, which means an alpine hut suitable for producing dairy products and cheese and refers to the building that is now a hotel.

Today, the hotel-which has thus maintained continuity of operation for more than 700 years-is located at the foot of the Vetta d'Italia, is surrounded by the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park and the Hohe Tauern National Park, and is dominated by the imposing Alpine peaks of the Three Lords Peak and the Red Prettau Peak. Against this unique environmental and scenic backdrop in which it is set, the hotel is thus the natural starting point for excursions to the Hohe Tauern and Zillertal Alps and provides lodging for "new" guests, who enjoy ski mountaineering, cross-country skiing, hiking and alpine excursions. Near the hotel, stands the Chiesetta di Santo Spirito, a sacred place of considerable historical and artistic value, built by Cardinal Nicola Cusano, representing the northernmost Catholic Church in the Italian nation.