Josef Plangger runs one of Austria's highest mountain farms. Dating back more than 400 years, this farmstead perched above the valley floor is a perfect place to get away from it all – and help harvest the hay.
The pastures and meadows around the Stableshof, a traditional farmstead above the Nauders near the Austrian-Italian-Swiss border, cover an area equivalent to 24 football pitches. During the summer months it often takes Josef Plangger weeks to scythe, gather and bring in the hay. Little wonder, then, that the friendly local is more than happy to accept any help. Those lending a hand in late summer are often guests staying on the 400-year-old farmhouse, which offers wonderful views of the region around Nauders and over the Swiss border to the Lower Engadine.
The hay is used to feed Josef's 20 cows during the winter months. Children love to jump around and play in the large piles of sweet-smelling grass stored in wooden huts on the farm. Josef, on the other hand, enjoys talking to his guests. His job as an alpine farmer means he often spends weeks on end alone in the mountains. As evening falls and everyone gathers in the 300-year-old wood-panelled dining room, with the lights of the houses twinkling in the valley far below, it is easy to imagine how Josef's ancestors must have lived and worked here in centuries past.
The pastures and meadows around the Stableshof, a traditional farmstead above the Nauders near the Austrian-Italian-Swiss border, cover an area…
