For Renato Botte, owner of Locanda Mistral, sustainability has always been an important topic. The environment in which he works, he is also a mountain guide, is nature and it has to be protected. Read more about Renato’s story here.

Enthusiasm for mountains

The airy heights fascinated Renato from an early age and he loved climbing. So it was only natural for the native South Tyrolean to become a mountain guide. In 1999 he received his certification. He knows the routes of his tours exactly and always has the weather as well as the condition of his people in view. In order to pass on his passion, he is also active in alpine training himself. He offers courses for hiking guides, as well as training as a mountain guide and tour leader. Renato is also active in the field of outdoor education and is involved in a wide variety of projects with young people and school classes. He is passionate about teaching social skills, personality development, and experiencing nature. 

An observant traveler

Renato is a real globetrotter. He has participated in expeditions and guided tours all over the world and has even led them himself. His way took him to Iran, Norway, Chile, Tasmania, China, Greenland, or Ecuador, among others. But Renato was particularly impressed by the landscape of Venezuela. However, he also notices how people treat beautiful nature. In 2004, he was traveling in China and saw how much construction is going on there and how the landscape was being interfered with. He remembers a farmer who lived there, who cleaned up the garbage of the tourists and was very affected by it.

Furthermore, Renato is concerned about the decline of the mountain’s glaciers, such as on the Ortler Normalweg in South Tyrol. He says that he has noticed a big change in the past 20 years. There are now many places with huge gaps because the glacier has changed so much. And this then also affects the paths that can be used. Renato Botte is concerned to see how humans are destroying their own planet.

©Locanda Mistral

The Locanda Mistral

Therefore, Renato would like to see a positive change. In 2009 he came to the Valle Maira for the first time and was immediately impressed by the untouched nature. In the meadows, for example, there are still many different alpine flowers. Most other alpine meadows are fertilized nowadays and only the yellow dandelion is blooming. Together with his partner Manuela, Renato decided to run the Locanda Mistral in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way. The two of them have renovated and modernized two old farmhouses. In these, you will find fourteen cozy and sustainably furnished rooms today.

“Our philosophy: respect and responsibility. We appreciate the beauty and cultural richness of our homeland and do our best every day to protect it and contribute to the local community.”

Renato Botte offers different tours and will guide you through the Maira Valley. He knows the area very well and can also tell you a lot about history and culture. Discover the Piedmontese mountains with him – in winter also on a tour with snowshoes or on skis. 

LINKS

All the tours you can join can be found here.

On his website you can find more information.

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