Agriturismo in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol with Spa, Riding

Farm stays in Trentino-Alto Adige sit in the Italian Alps, where the farming is dairy, apples and mountain wine rather than olives and vines. The region is bilingual — Italian and German are both official, and in South Tyrol German is the first language of most farming families — so expect Alpine building, Alpine food and Italian coffee in the same breakfast room.

The two halves

South Tyrol, in the north, runs from the Adige valley orchards up to the Dolomites. Farms here are typically small holdings on steep slopes above villages like Ortisei, Castelrotto and Merano, with meadows that are cut for hay twice a summer. Trentino, to the south, is milder and lower in places, taking in Lake Garda's northern tip at Riva, the Val di Non apple belt, and the wine villages south of Trento. The Dolomites straddle both and are the reason most visitors come.

What these farms are like

• Working dairy farms where guests can watch the milking and the cheese-making
• Apartments with kitchen and balcony rather than hotel rooms, the standard format here
• Speck, mountain cheese, rye bread and apple strudel served at breakfast
• Trails from the door in summer; in winter, farms within reach of ski lifts
• Wood-panelled Stube interiors, and animals children can meet — this is the most family-oriented region in Italy for farm stays

Seasons

Unlike most of Italy, this region has two full seasons. Summer, from late June to mid-September, is for walking, via ferrata and mountain huts; hay-making and the return of cattle from high pasture in September are working events you can see. Winter, from December to March, is for skiing, with the Dolomiti Superski network on the doorstep. Late April to early June and late October to November are quiet, cheap and often the moment farms close.

The A22 motorway from the Brenner Pass runs the length of the region, and trains reach Bolzano, Trento and Merano. Roads to individual farms can be steep and narrow; winter tyres are a legal requirement in the cold months.

In Trentino-Alto-Adige-Sudtirol we have 112 farmhouses, including 26 with swimming pool, 29 with restaurant and 33 pet friendly.