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Historic: There used to be more guesthouses than residential buildings in Vipiteno. When did the Ida join this local tradition of hospitality?

Where does the name Ida came from?

Veronika: About 14 years ago, we named the Vinzenz after my grandfather. We found that Ida was a good match to this other name; it works in all languages and it can be young and snazzy.

What is the story behind the recurring style element of the button?

Veronika: This building used to house a haberdashery that mostly sold buttons in all shapes and forms. We took this chapter of history as our common theme in that we drew on buttons in both interior and corporate design, from the cloakroom to the shower to the business cards.

What was your main focus when you reconstructed the place?

Daniel: We tried to give the house some character. Especially upstairs, hardly anything was preserved, so we had to work with the few historical elements that were still there¾the cupboard doors and the ornaments of the old parlours¾and build upon them with modern elements.

Veronika: Lighting is another challenge in buildings like this one. The streets in the old town are long and narrow, but we wanted to get as much light in as possible. Alcoves like the one here have always had the purpose of bringing daylight into the house. My grandma used to spend hours sitting in the alcove of her parlour and knitting or reading the paper.

What makes the Ida so cosy?

Veronika: Mainly the parlour elements. There used to be parlours everywhere in these old houses. Even the house where we live has a historic room. It’s a different kind of wellbeing, a special sense of space¾despite modern elements such as the kitchen units, the black fittings and the lamps.

Daniel: The Ida may not have a spectacular view of the Dolomites, but it has the beautiful old town right outside. The guests like to sit in the sun with the windows open, just looking, even in winter.

And what makes it special?

Veronika: We like to pay attention to detail. Every detail makes sense, there’s a thought behind it. Whether it’s the curtain or the brand of tea: There’s a level of quality we want guests to sense throughout. In fact, there are some things we would like to do differently from what is customary in South Tyrol. We are a different kind of hosts, maybe not to everybody’s liking. We want to love what we do, and we are prepared to spend a lot of money to that end. (Laughs.) But this way we have a good time during work. And we draw a completely different crowd of people.

What kind of people?

Veronika: Mainly sensitive guests who appreciate exactly what we offer. Many of them are creative people who love to be at a place where design and aesthetics are valued a lot.

And what makes you different as hosts?

Veronika: While we do have a financial plan, we try not to look at it too closely. (Laughs.) We enjoy giving a little more than expected.

Daniel: You don’t have to do everything for financial profit. It will come when you work hard and passionately. Which doesn’t mean you should run around headless, of course.

Veronika: There are many hospitable institutions in South Tyrol that lack this kind of passion. They spend ridiculous amounts of money for marketing, but their places have no soul, they are hollow. It makes me sad when guests are not more than a room number. We have soul in everything. Our guests tell us that it is our personal commitment that makes all the difference. In other words, when the hotel is open, we are there ourselves. And when we are not there, the Ida is closed.

In her book ‘Berg and Breakfast’, South Tyrolean writer Selma Mahlknecht appeals to tourism to do some soul-searching.

Veronika: There is no need to invent something new, all you have to do is go back in time a bit. What was South Tyrol like 40, 50 years ago? What was the significance of hosting then? People who have travelled to South Tyrol for decades tell us about it. What was so special? It was the hosts. There are many places from the 1970s where nobody wants to stay anymore. But it would be fairly easy to give these places their souls back. And then the guests would return. Some people simply can’t¾or won’t¾afford enormous room rates. I don’t mean to say hotels should undersell themselves. But it’s a matter of fairness and proportion.

What do you recommend guests who come to Vipiteno to do?

Veronika: To sit down with a cup of cappuccino and enjoy the show of pedestrians outside our windows! (Laughs.) It takes a close look to see how special it is. You need to take your time and let the atmosphere sink in. In the mornings, I tell them to go to the bakery across the street and get some fresh bread! At 7 am, the vinschgerls are still warm, fresh out of the oven. And when you bring them here, their lovely smell fills the whole place. I also tell them to catch a bus to Val di Vizze, all the way to the end of the valley. ‘What is there?’ Nothing! (Laughs.) Exactly, nothing. At last, nothing.