Borgo Soandri, un’esperienza unica: a Sutrio l’albergo che “abbraccia” l’intero paese

When the hotel embraces an entire village: in Sutrio, you experience the spread-out hotel with a wide range of offerings from sports to culture, well-being, and gastronomy. Discover Borgo Soandri.

In Carnia, named after the Celtic tribe of the Carni, ancient inhabitants of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, you'll find Sutrio, a little paradise offering a full menu of unforgettable experiences for gourmet enthusiasts. This mountainous region boasts crisp air and the rejuvenating scent of the forest. Here, hospitality, craftsmanship, and excellent raw materials reign supreme. This place exudes a profound sense of hospitality, just like the people who live here and care for it, and it aims to demonstrate this spirit to its visitors by involving them in a series of experiential activities that bridge distances and warm hearts.

Sutrio was one of the first inhabited places in the Valle del But and preserves a precious historic center with narrow cobbled streets and typical stone houses. The village is renowned throughout the region for its tradition of carpenters and woodcarvers.

In addition to opportunities for sports and skiing experiences, thanks to the proximity of Monte Zoncolan, Sutrio offers tourism that promotes the discovery and valorization of its heritage, both architectural, through the creation of the Albergo Diffuso model, and cultural, through exhibitions, events, ranging from the art of wood craftsmanship to the revival of haymaking, the Carnian butcher tradition, and the flavors of the region, including traditional dishes like Cjarsons.

Sutrio: an experiential village

Sutrio offers immersive experiences that are tailored to your preferences, thanks to unique and authentic people who make themselves available to engage visitors and highlight the beauty of the place. People like Silvio Ortis, President of the Albergo Diffuso, who embodies the wisdom and historical memory of these places, or Ursula Puntel, who knows the meadows and forests and will take you on a botanical excursion to learn to recognize the wild herbs typical of the rich Carnian flora and discover their secrets, including their culinary uses. With the foraged herbs, you can then turn to Chiara Selenati, a perfect host and guardian of ancient recipes, who can teach you to prepare the best traditional dishes through engaging cooking classes.

Experiences to be lived here cater to all tastes, with offerings that change from season to season, ranging from sports to culture, from well-being to gastronomy. Moreover, with Visit Zoncolan, experiences are suitable for everyone, from families to sports enthusiasts. You have the opportunity to get up close to local production art, thanks to initiatives led by local youth, such as the "La vecje Becjarie" butcher shop, where Matteo Nodale uses ancient smoking techniques passed down through his family; or to enter the historic Alto But cheese factory, guided by the expertise of cheesemaker Patrizia Tomat, where you can discover how artisanal dairy products like Stelutis (stracchino) or Pastorut (blue cheese) are produced.

The entire village transforms into a Grand Hotel 

With the Albergo Diffuso Borgo Soandri, a true model of hospitality is executed, aiming to offer tourists the unique experience of becoming part of a village's life, connecting with its places, knowledge, and flavors that they won't find elsewhere.  Born over 25 years ago from the idea of Leonardo Zanier to network the village's building heritage, it has now become a catalyst for zero-impact tourism development, with environmental consciousness, respecting the local population and tradition, making it an essential part of the tourism offering.

Today, there are over 150 beds available, distributed across 35 apartments, which become a single "Hotel," coordinated and organized as a single accommodation structure. The uniqueness lies in the fact that hotel rooms, instead of being physically located in a single building, are scattered throughout the ancient village of Sutrio and its hamlets. This allows tourists to live in an unadulterated environment, immerse themselves in the village's life, and fully enjoy the tranquility offered by the location. Moreover, the Albergo Diffuso model is an intriguing example of sustainability, as it doesn't construct new buildings on additional land but renovates existing houses that, if left unoccupied, might face abandonment.

The Albergo Diffuso provides guests with all typical services of a traditional hotel: a reception (where you can also pick up an audio guide that leads to the most charming corners of Sutrio, telling its history and legends), bathrooms and bedroom linens supplies, linen changes, and room cleaning. A plus is the rich breakfast delivered to the room in a characteristic wicker basket, including both sweet options like homemade tart and cookies, fresh yoghurt, jams, as well as savory choices like fresh eggs, local cheese, and cold cuts. The products are sourced from local farmers and producers, guaranteeing freshness, authenticity, and support for local commerce. Recently, the cameras of the successful show "Bruno Barbieri - 4 Hotels" highlighted all the virtues of this village, crowning it as the best Albergo Diffuso in Carnia. 

The Gourmet Side

The cuisine, offered in rustic restaurants and cozy trattorias, is meticulously crafted, tied to typical and genuine mountain ingredients, enhanced by the abundance of wild herbs that grow in this area and special spices introduced through the passage of many populations. Nestled in the historic center of Sutrio is Osteria da Alvise, which has become an essential destination for refined gourmets for three generations. It was once a sort of bazaar with the family's wine, which has now been converted into a renovated trattoria with a pleasant contemporary alpine style.

Nearby, an wine bar called "Il Marangon'' has also opened, offering platters of local cold cuts and cheeses, hot sandwiches, gourmet burgers, focaccias, and many other options for a casual lunch or dinner accompanied by craft beers and wines from the finest regional wineries. And for those seeking a complete experience, there are 25 rooms available, some in a new area, with refined hospitality solutions, including a modern SPA.

Alvise exudes a genuine and hospitable atmosphere, a place where Carnian gastronomic tradition is celebrated by the talent of Chef Giacomo Della Pietra, who draws from the tradition's repertoire with measured lightness, enhancing forgotten products and dishes. The extensive selection of local wines makes for interesting wine pairings. Giacomo learned to cook from his grandmother Maria, from whom he still prepares the typical cjarsòns, a kind of ravioli with a sweet and savory filling. Today, he is joined by his mother Elena (who still expertly prepares desserts) and his father Enzo, who manages the dining room.

This is a kitchen that is instinctive and down-to-earth, going straight to the heart and focusing on the freshness of ingredients and the excellence of the territory. The dishes offered are a testament to this approach. From the appetizers, Carnian tradition is evident with the "Toç in Braide," enhanced with local mushrooms: a very tender polenta made from cornmeal, slow-cooked and garnished with cheese and mushrooms. On the menu, alongside the typical frico and cjarsòns, you'll also find various interpretations featuring game meat. It is used as a filling for exquisite ravioli or served on its own, as in the venison sirloin, served with polenta and red currant jam, paired with a Collio Merlot Russiz Superiore 2020. Among the desserts, the traditional Carnian Tiramisù is a must, originating in Tolmezzo (UD) in the 1950s.

We leave Sutrio with the awareness that in this place, you can savor genuine hospitality and authentic charm. A village that is also a hotel, where you are welcomed as friends by a hospitable community. Here, every moment is rejuvenating thanks to the rhythm of life in an authentic and vital mountain village, where children still run in the streets, people greet each other with eye contact, and in the evening, everyone gathers in the osteria to share a glass of good wine and exchange stories.