Mountain Houses

Double-height living rooms warmed by crackling fires; cozy bedrooms under the eaves, beds piled high with down comforters; rustic kitchens with rough-hewn wood beams—mountain houses offer the perfect winter refuge. And in the spring, when the weather turns warm, doors and windows are flung open to take in views of verdant valleys and pristine lakes.

Nowhere is the beauty of living in the mountains more evident than in the Alps, where the spectacular landscape has given rise to equally gor…