Why you should experience Shackleton in Sestriere, Italy.
Shackleton is where contemporary alpine architecture, warm Italian hospitality, and the dramatic sweep of Sestriere's high-altitude landscape merge into a stay that feels design-forward, atmospheric, and invigorating.
Set on a serene rise above the village, just far enough from the central bustle to offer space, calm, and panoramic views, yet close enough for effortless access to the slopes and the vibrant heart of the resort, the property stands as one of Sestriere's most distinctive modern hotels. Its façade blends clean lines, natural materials, expansive windows, and thoughtful geometric forms that echo the surrounding ridgelines. The building feels simultaneously grounded in the earth and open to the sky, shaped by the modern alpine design ethos of bringing the landscape directly into the living experience. Step inside, and the atmosphere shifts to warmth, sophistication, and serenity. Shackleton embraces a contemporary alpine interior style: wide-open lounges, sunlit common spaces framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, curated décor inspired by nature, soft lighting, natural woods, stone accents, and a calming palette of mountain neutrals. The effect is both energizing and soothing, a place where you can inhale deeply, feel the clarity of altitude, and instantly unwind. The lounges and communal spaces are designed for gathering, reading, relaxing, or simply watching the mountain weather unfold across the peaks. Rooms at Shackleton reflect the same design-forward philosophy. Expect wide layouts, modern alpine furnishings, soft linens, warm textiles, and windows or balconies that frame panoramic views of slopes, forests, and jagged alpine silhouettes. Some rooms feel deeply cocoon-like, calm, warm, and intimate, while others feel airy, bright, and expansively connected to the landscape. Many feature architectural touches that enhance the resonant impact of the mountain: angled ceilings, picture windows, private terraces, or spa-like bathrooms designed with stone, glass, and clean lines. Every room feels crafted for rest, restoration, and a profound connection to nature. Dining at Shackleton is both generous and refined. Breakfast is served in a bright, elegant space where the early sun spills across wooden tables. Expect breads, pastries, crostate, yogurt, cereals, eggs, cheeses, cured meats, fresh fruit, vegetables, and rich Italian coffee, an abundant spread designed to energize you for full days of skiing, hiking, or exploring. Dinner embraces a mountain-inspired culinary approach: handmade pastas, hearty soups, local meats, alpine vegetables, refined dishes with Piedmontese influence, and desserts that blend tradition with creativity. Wines selected from regional producers elevate each meal with a deep sense of place. In winter, Shackleton becomes a striking base for exploring the Via Lattea ski domain. The hotel's slightly elevated perch offers quick access to the slopes while providing sweeping views of Sestriere's snow-covered amphitheater.
What you did not know about Shackleton.
Shackleton stands on land shaped by the bold, visionary origins of Sestriere, land where agricultural endurance, early alpine survival, and modern ski innovation intersect in one of Italy's most storied high-altitude settings.
Before the resort was created in the 1930s, the plateau where Shackleton now stands was part of the rugged summer grazing network that sustained mountain families for centuries. Shepherds moved their livestock along age-old transhumance routes, guiding herds across the alpine pastures that stretched beneath Monte Sises, Fraiteve, and the surrounding peaks. These meadows were critical, providing the nutrient-rich grasses that allowed families to produce butter, cheese, milk, and meat for the winter months. The land was shaped by scythes, hay drying in the summer sun, and the rhythm of agricultural life lived at altitude. Winter transformed everything. Long before skiing became a sport, locals crafted simple wooden skis from larch or spruce to navigate the deep snow. These skis weren't used for pleasure, they were tools that allowed villagers to reach barns, deliver goods, gather wood, check livestock, and maintain essential contact between isolated families. Their movements across the terrain formed the earliest traces of the routes that would later define modern skiing in Sestriere. All of this shifted dramatically when the Agnelli family, the industrial dynasty behind FIAT, chose this plateau as the site for Italy's first purpose-built resort. Their vision created Sestriere from the ground up: lifts, accommodation, ski schools, and modern winter infrastructure designed not around an existing village but as a bold, innovative concept. The land beneath Shackleton became part of this transformation, joining the architectural and cultural footprint that set Sestriere apart from older, organically grown alpine towns. Throughout the 20th century, Sestriere became a locus of skiing excellence. The region hosted major competitions, built advanced training grounds, and attracted both recreational skiers and elite athletes. Its cylindrical towers, futuristic lifts, and advanced trail systems cemented its status as a pioneer of modern alpine tourism. The area near Shackleton played a role in supporting early ski schools, housing athletes, and anchoring the community as the resort developed its identity. The 2006 Torino Winter Olympics further elevated the landscape around the hotel. Slopes and facilities nearby were upgraded, and Sestriere became one of the world's focal points for alpine competition. Athletes from across the globe trained, raced, and lived within a stone's throw of the land that Shackleton now occupies. Beneath this modern story lies another layer: the region's wartime history. During World War II, high passes near Sestriere served as strategic routes for soldiers and partisans navigating harsh alpine conditions. Remnants of these pathways still exist in the mountains beyond the resort, subtle scars of history blending with shepherd huts, ancient barns, and pre-tourism life.
How to fold Shackleton into your trip.
Shackleton becomes the elegant, panoramic, restorative heart of your high-altitude escape, where mornings begin with refined alpine breakfasts, days open into sweeping mountain adventure, and evenings settle into soft-lit serenity shaped by design and comfort.
Start your winter morning with pastries, breads, crostate, yogurt, cereals, cheeses, cured meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, and rich Italian coffee before walking to the nearby lifts that carry you into the vast Via Lattea ski domain. Spend your day skiing wide pistes, Olympic racecourses, ridge-line routes, forested descents, and long cross-border circuits into France. Return to Shackleton for quiet lounges, warm interiors, refined dinners, and the calming architectural presence that makes rest feel deep and effortless. In summer, begin with cool mountain air drifting through your room before setting out along trails that lead to panoramic viewpoints, glacial lakes, wildflower meadows, and airy ridgelines. Cyclists can tackle iconic Giro d'Italia climbs like Colle delle Finestre, Colle dell'Assietta, and the Sestriere ascent. Spend afternoons unwinding on terraces, reading in floor-to-ceiling-window lounges, or simply watching the mountains shift through light and shadow. Evenings unfold with regional cuisine, soft music, and the quiet hush that settles over Sestriere when the sky turns blue-black and stars crown the peaks. Wake restored, nourished, and aligned, ready for another day shaped by nature, movement, culture, and the contemporary alpine soul of Shackleton. It becomes not just where you stay, but the design-driven, memory-rich center of your entire Sestriere experience.
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