As soon as
Walter Griesser discovered the
Seiser Alm / Alpe di Siusi in 1938, he instantly fell in love with the magnificent landscape and the beautiful surrounding mountains.
After looking through the area and its potential, he had the brilliant idea to
build the first ski lift: thanks to it, the interest of winter sport lovers in Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi raised a lot.
At the time, a ski lift was something new and quite unusual: skiers were used to face a difficult and long trip in order to reach Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi.
This
lift gave a strong boost to the
development of the area: the number of tourists raised so much that it became necessary to build a
small mountain hut in order to host them.
World War II had a deep impact not only on Walter´s body, but also on his little hut and his ski lift.
But Walter had a dream and he had always been a very strong man. After the war, he repaired and rebuilt what had been destroyed, even if he had to face very hard times and he had to renounce too many things from a personal point of view.
The little Alpine hut became a comfortable guest house, which his wife Henriette managed with great care and passion.
Because of its great location and the breathtaking view over the
Dolomites,
Walter & Henriette had no doubts and called it “
Panorama”.
In the meantime, the simple & original ski lift was transformed into a modern chairlift. Moreover, the little
Alpine guest house became the
4-star hotel we can enjoy today, whose look suits perfectly the surrounding landscape.
Nowadays, Walter´s son
manages the Alpenhotel Panorama. His name is
Martin and, with his wife and their two daughters, he works very hard in order to satisfy all guests´ needs and ensure them an
unforgettable holiday!