Ramses, Cleopatra, Nefertiti watched them every morning, taking advantage of the first rays of light behind them. Even if a yawn or two was still in their bodies from the previous evenings dance or party they knew the magic of the pyramids would still excite them, such was their perfection and beauty.
So, in similar fashion, can you admire other guests’ surprised expressions, meeting their eye beyond the flower pyramids decorating the table. You too can create this effect. First find, one of those green sponges for flowers, which you need to soak in water and arrange on a plate or fruit-stand. Put some green plants around the sponge, covering the plate; then repeat the process adding some lemons, oranges or apples. You can fix them with iron threads 35 centimetres long (those used for gerberas).
Be careful to run the fruit through, and then fix the thread so that the fruit stays in the desired position. Stick the thread into the sponge and go on putting more fruits, until you make a pyramid. If you want, you can also add some flowers to your table decoration. The most important thing is that the flower stem is fixed in the soaked sponge. Enjoy !
Anni
Anni Costa is the Matriarch of the great Costa family. She comes from Vilpiano and together with Ernesto Costa gave birth to the fantastic La Perla story. Time and time again she says to have handed over the reins to her sons but she still hears and sees everything which is going on! Keep alert and on your toes when she is around!
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Michil
Michil is the first born of the Costa family. A great lover of music he had always wanted to become a musician but has had to settle for selling steaks - or, better said, to being a hotelier. Michl is a bit the rebel in the family, has a great environmental commitment, and just loves Nature. He is the exponent of La Perla's philosophy.
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Diego Delmonego
Diego Delmonego works in the social housing construction sector, reguarly photographs Alpine landscape, and for many years has monitored the territorial development in Trentino Alto Adige. In his conferences he emphasises the use of the environment by man. The prevalent themes are: urban dispersion; the trends in 'concreting' of the earth's surface; 'green roof' developments; environmental light pollution and solutions; 'plurigenerational' construction. He has cooperated on the drawing up of criteria for the reduction of light pollution in the province of Bolzano.
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Stefan
Stefan’s arrival dates back to 1988 and he knows la Perla inside out! He is involved in a multitude of things for the good of the hotel, but his real strength is in table decoration and flower arrangement. His are the guiding hands for the presentation of our hotel home! He is like an adopted son to the Costa family and is always plotting and doing with signora Costa.
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Valentina
Valentina Motta has worked here since 2005. From Vigevano, she is married to Marco, ‘first course’ chef at La Perla restaurant. Guests love her and fron the first ‘bun dé’ greeeting in the morning when she accompanies guests to the breakfast table her day is full of joy!
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Luca Monica
Luca Monica is Italy’s most famous food hunter and associate of “Peck”, the famous brand that has always been a synonym for gastronomic quality and reliability for the Milanese and gourmets. Luca has been a friend of the Ladins for a long time because he loves Alta Badia as much as he loves rare and precious food.
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Irene Pollini Giolai
Born in Asolo, Treviso, Irene now lives in Milan. She has a degree in Public Relations and Advertising, and she also attended for a year an Urban-wear (fashion design) course at the IED in Milan. Then she studied at the Goethe Institute in Berlin. Since the age of 4 she has written in a compulsive manner. "I love walking, looking around with music in my ears. I like big cities and small places. To me big cities are required to find inspiration and calm, and small places help me to re-elaborate material well."
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Renate Kostner Pizzinini
Renate Kostner Pizzinini, hotelier in Alta Badia, owner of hotel Cappella in Colfosco. Keen traveller, lover of art, and supporter of many varied initiatives. www.hotelcappella.com
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Maria Canins
Maria Canins was born in Badia on the 4th June (the actual year is top secret!). She started her sporting career in athletics and in mountin running, then she moved on to cross-country skiing, cycling, and mountain biking. A world time title, two Tour de France and a Giro d'Italia are to her name and in cross-country she won the Marcialonga ten times and was also victorious once in the Vasaloppet. Her record speaks for itself and she is a sports heroine whose fame extends far betond national borders.
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Alexander
Alexander Egger has been part of the team since 1994 and since 2002 he has been the chef of restuarant “La Perla”. Originally from Tesido in Val Pusteria he spends out of season times in Sardegna where his partner and little girl Eleonora live. Try and catch him in a quiet moment as he is a man full of wisdom and sense!
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Concetta Bonaldi
Concetta is Ladin and was born in Brunico on 26 February 1978 under the sign of Pisces. She can be proud of two well-deserved university degrees: foreign philology (specialization branch: history and culture) and law (specialization branch: criminal law). As a jurist and journalist, she has been working for the “Dolomiten” newspaper, which lies at her heart, for years. Humor, creativity and curiosity are characteristic for her style. Her great dream: publishing a novel.
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Riccardo Bertoncelli
Riccardo Bertoncelli, writer and outstanding music critic. Born in Novara in 1952. A fan of rock from the age of 15. In 1969 he produced the cyclostyled fanzine Freak, dedicated to underground music. In 1973 he published Pop Story, the first in Italy of its type and today a cult book. It communicated to Italian youth the historical and cultural horizions of pop and rock.
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Ernesto
Ernesto Costa is the boss. He now prefers to pass his time flying in his plane, polishing up his motorbikes, or tampering with antique cuckoo clocks from his collection. Always be quick to take his advice though for his insight into things is remarkable and he has an uncanny way of seeing things in their entirety.
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Manuel
Manuel Dellago comes from Val Gardena: - we forgive every man his sins !! He has been maître d'hôtel of the restaurant “La Stüa de Michil” since 2004. He is a real jester and almost always in a good mood. A fan of magic tricks he likes the chance to practise one or two! He is also involved in the technological and informatic aspects of the hotel business and is head of the project for a common welfafe economy.
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Claudia Orlandi
Born in Milan in 1975, Claudia’s life is concentrated on writing. After a university degree in philosophy and two master degrees – one in writing techniques for fiction and one in enogastronomic communication studies – she has turned her passion into a profession. She also works for Identità Golose by organizing events and writing menu cards and articles. Aspirations? Simply creating.
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Nicoletta
Nicoletta Del Prete is to be found in our Wellness Centre. She is from Ischia – you know, that region where they sing and whistle! She has worked at La Perla since 2008 and her specialisation is in sports massages. She says she knows all the secrets of the guests but she never tells us any! Certain is that she proves to be very popular with all the guests.
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mErCh
Merch Pescollderungg is a local Badia man in that he hails from San Cassiano. First started at La Perla in 2000 as a sommelier, and has devloped to be today the right hand man of Michil Costa. He is our marketing man and the strategist for the product we call ‘La Perla’. Strong in analysing data he also is, strange though it might seem, full of creativity and winning ideas!
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Mathias
Mathias Costa is the second born of the family. He is never without a smile and we can really say that he is never ever in anything but a good mood. He manages the Murin tavern and his great passions are skiing and cycling. He is married to Petra, she from Vilpiano, and they have two beautiful little girls, Anna e Lena.
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Daniel
Daniel Verdorfer, cellarmaster extraordinaire at Hotel La Perla since January 2012. He is in charge of wine, the Mahatma Wine Cellar. He is from Tramin an der Weinstrasse in the South Tyrolean lowlands. He is into live concerts, exotic travel, good food and of course all types of wine.
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Lisa
Lisa Campagnolo has been in charge of the hotel reception since 2009 and her efficiency is there for all to see. Originally from Bassano del Grappa she is a great lover of Latin-american music. We are in good hands with Lisa for she really is ‘top of the class’!
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Artur
Artur Pescol is orginally from Badia but now lives in Pieve di Marebbe together with his wife and two daughters. He has been responsible for ‘house maintenance’ since 1996 and as such take care of all aspects of La Perla’s well-being! He knows how to fix anything and everything – and I do mean anything and everthing! And more besides, for Artur knows many things, passing from alternative medicine to political scenarios, and even tells us how the weather will be!
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Haig Barclay
A lover of all things good in South Tyrol. He claims to be the British person to have skied the most in the Dolomites - first downhill in 1982 and still going strong. Travels extensively as international marketing director of Brain international but feels most at home at La Perla!
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Joe
Joe is from Verona and first arrived at La Perla in 2007. She is from Verona but looks and behaves just like a typical Ladin lady! In reality she has always wanted to be a bit of a Heidi, a companion of the goats in the meadows with the mountains full of music standing proud above. Always smiling she loves to laugh a lot. Joe is responsible for Communications and Press. She and Michil are partners.
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Franco
Franco D'Orio is from Ischia – you remember, that is that region where they sing and whistle? Franco has been part of La Perla family since 1990 and is the principal waiter for guests. Over the years he has never learned a word of German or English but all guests know and love him and seek him out. He loves to joke and is a big soccer fan, Napoli being his team.
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Franco Brevini
Franco Brevini (born in Milan on 10 July 1951) is an Italian literary historian, literary critic, author and journalist.
He is associate professor for modern and contemporary Italian literature and has been working for “Corriere della Sera” for more than twenty years.
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Arturo
1994 was the year when Arturo Spicocchi first came. Since 2002 he has been the chef of ‘Stüa de Michil’. He just loves to prepare those wonderful olives Ascoli style and is so passionate about food that at times it has been difficult to get him out of the kitchen! Michl had to force him out at times and is now so happy that Arturo has recently discovered the joy of cycling!
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Elide
Elide Pizzinini has been with us since 2006 and is the daughter of Ladin artists, grand-daughter of a famous couple and niece of very inspirational aunties and uncles! She lives together with husband Axl and young daughter Ezra in S. Cassiano - she is the one who loves plumcake! Friends and colleauges call her “ciüf” - a very special flower! Elide has a wonderful voice and when she tells a tale it seems that she is singing. As well as being Michil's P.A. she also deals with administrative and other aspects of the Costa Family Foundation.
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Ulrich Wallnöfer
Ulrich Wallnöfer is co-founder and initiator of Pur Südtirol, a platform for the commercialization and development of regional, sustainable food and products. Furthermore, he is an associate and manager of Meraner Weinhaus GmbH, a company that is specialized in the sale of wine.
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Marco
Marco Sacchelli has been with us since 2005. Together with his wife Linda he accompanies guests on summer excursions. Marco spends his time between Corvara and Tenerife, the birthplace of Linda. His knowledge and insight into our Ladin valley is impressive and he is always ready to share thoughts and facts with friends new and old alike, and the role he fulfils is a much appreciated one.
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Marco
1998 was the year when Marco Pellegrini first set foot here! Promoted to Head of Bar in 2009 he is really on top of his job and his cocktails are to die for. Recently married to Francesca, they live in Caorle. Very efficient in leading and guiding his team, Marco is good at organising and when discussiong one thing or the other he always likes to come out on top!
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Günther Reifer
Dott. Günther Reifer is a consultant for the CWE project endorsed by Hotel La Perla; he is founder of the Terra Institute and coordinator for Italy for the movement in favour of Common Welfare Economy.
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