About twenty school horses, Haflingers, Icelandics and warmbloods, in a stable with a 60 by 24 metre indoor arena: in the Passeier Valley, anyone who stops playing golf can be in the saddle straight away.
An afternoon of golf leaves the legs tired and the mind free, and many people feel like changing pace. The horse is an age-old answer: you move at a walk, see the landscape from a different height and leave the stopwatch in your room. Some Italian resorts bring the two worlds together, and in a few of them the stable is a proper facility, not an occasional hack.
Five resorts between course and stable
Five addresses with horse riding and a golf course on site or recommended. Prices, hours and levels of the lessons vary and should be checked with the resort.
| Resort | Where | Horses | Golf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quellenhof Passeier | Passeier Valley, South Tyrol | Riding school with indoor arena | Four holes of its own and the Passeier club five minutes away |
| Andreus | Passeier Valley, South Tyrol | Stable with paddock and school | 18 holes beneath the windows |
| Verdura | Sciacca, Sicily | Rides across the estate, lessons | 45 holes by Kyle Phillips |
| Torre Coccaro | Savelletri di Fasano, Apulia | Stable, horseback trekking | Nine-hole executive course 400 metres away |
| Pitrizza | Costa Smeralda, Sardinia | Beach rides, on request | Pevero, 18 holes |
Quellenhof Passeier: a proper riding school
The Quellenhof is the right address for anyone who wants not a one-off ride but a real week in the saddle. According to the tourism portal suedtirol.live, the school has an international-standard indoor arena measuring 60 by 24 metres, a paddock and new stables, with about 20 school horses of the Haflinger, Icelandic and warmblood breeds. The programmes include tailor-made courses with qualified instructors, lessons in horse care and management, outings in the countryside along the Passer river, stalls for guests who bring their own horse and pony rides for the youngest children. The hotel's website also lists a seven-night riding week, with dates in the calendar from 2026 to 2028.
Golf is the other side of the day. The resort has four holes of its own with a 20-bay driving range, ten of them covered, and is a founding member of the Golf Club Passeier.Meran, an 18-hole, 5,791-metre par 71 five minutes away by car, which the club itself describes as "target golf". Every Wednesday the club runs a competition reserved for Quellenhof guests.
Andreus: the stable beneath the hotel
A few kilometres away, in the same valley, the Andreus Golf & Spa Resort stands right on the Passeier.Meran course, 18 holes playable from March to December. On the hotel's website the stable is presented as part of the animal fun for young and old, with a paddock, riding school and zoo; it lies right below the hotel, together with the FINKI Island adventure park and the alpacas. Details of the equestrian offer should be requested at reception.
The rest is a mountain holiday for families with grown-up tastes: 8,000 square metres of wellness, seven pools and the 85-square-metre DOME sauna.
Verdura: on horseback between orange groves and sea
At Sciacca, the Rocco Forte resort offers, according to a press release published in the trade press in April 2026, a horseback experience in the new Sport & Experience Hub: scenic rides through hills and unspoilt beaches, with instructors giving lessons, and tailor-made activities for families and children, including walks with alpacas. Duration, number of participants and prices should be asked of the concierge.
The golf, meanwhile, is an attraction in its own right: Verdura Golf has 45 holes by Kyle Phillips, with the par 73 East Links of 6,763 metres and the par 70 West Shore. As of 3 October 2026 the East is open, the West is open with work under way on the new Bermuda grass, and the Executive stays closed until spring 2027. Anyone arriving now should be realistic: golf, yes, but with one course fewer. Around the resort you get about in electric vehicles, and that goes for the course too.
Torre Coccaro: horseback trekking in Apulia
The Masseria Torre Coccaro, at Savelletri di Fasano, lists trekking and horse riding among the experiences on its website, and in its offer for families the stable appears alongside the kids' club, the water games and the cookery school. Hours and levels should be asked of the masseria.
For golf there is the Coccaro Golf Club, a nine-hole par 27 executive course of about 1,150 metres, 400 metres from the masseria, among centuries-old olive trees and almond trees. It is a short course, ideal for an hour before dinner or for the beginners in the family; for a championship 18 holes the hotel recommends San Domenico Golf, one kilometre away.
Pitrizza: the beach at dawn, on request
The Hotel Pitrizza, designed by Luigi Vietti in 1963, has no stable. Among the activities the concierge suggests, however, are horseback rides on the beach from dawn to dusk, alongside the trails of the Pevero hill and Monte Moro. The hotel has neither a course nor a golf package: it points to the Pevero Golf Club, an 18-hole par 72 by Robert Trent Jones, opened in 1972. The club's 2026 price list runs from 120 to 180 euros for 18 holes, depending on the season.
When to go
It depends on the resort. Passeier.Meran and the other courses keep their own calendars: the course of Andreus is playable from March to December, Verdura's East Links is open now, and Coccaro's nine holes have almond trees in bloom in March. A useful figure for your wallet: at Pevero the 2026 price list rises to 180 euros from 20 July to 16 August and drops to 120 euros from January to 26 April and from 26 October to December.
Curiosities
- A family passion. At the Romantik Hotel Turm in Fiè allo Sciliar, the owners cultivate a second passion, purebred Arabian horses, which live at the Gallaria, a family estate turned art gallery and restaurant. It is not a riding offer for guests, but it speaks of a bond between the hotel and horses.
- The old stables at the table. At the Masseria Torre Coccaro the Egnathia restaurant occupies the old stables with their seventeenth-century star vaults; at Torre Maizza the Carosello shares the same past.
- A course for riders who golf. The almond trees of the Coccaro Golf Club bloom in March, and a small lake comes into play at holes 2 and 8.
Frequently asked questions
Can I go horse riding at an Italian golf resort without being an expert?+
Yes, at least at the resorts that declare a school or lessons: at the Quellenhof there are tailor-made courses with instructors and pony rides for children; at Verdura, according to the trade press, there are lessons with instructors. Ask the concierge about the required level before booking.
How big is the Quellenhof Passeier stable?+
According to the portal suedtirol.live it has a 60 by 24 metre indoor arena, a paddock and about 20 school horses among Haflingers, Icelandics and warmbloods.
Can I arrive with my own horse?+
At the Quellenhof the school provides stalls for guests who arrive with their own horse. At the other resorts it is best to ask directly.
Where can I play golf and go horse riding on the same day?+
In the Passeier Valley, where the stable and the 18-hole course are a few minutes apart; at Andreus the course lies beneath the hotel's windows. At Torre Coccaro the nine-hole executive course is 400 metres away.
Is all of Verdura's golf open?+
Not as of 3 October 2026: the East Links is open, the West Shore is open with work under way and the Executive is closed until spring 2027.
Does the Pitrizza have a golf course?+
No: the hotel has neither a course nor a golf package and points to the Pevero Golf Club, an 18-hole par 72 by Robert Trent Jones, with a 2026 price list from 120 to 180 euros depending on the season.
