Hotel Bella Vista, a nest in the mountains

It has watched over the Stelvio Pass for over 150 years. There, in the heart of the National Park, overlooking the Engadine Dolomites and the Ortles mountain, Hotel Bella Vista in Trafoi is part of the history of the place. Nestled among spectacular mountains and verdant slopes that transform into ski runs in winter, this destination has, over time, become one with the landscape. Now, this symbiosis is even closer, thanks to the expansion project by Matteo Thun & Partners, which has made the structure a perfect extension of its natural setting, while enhancing its heritage and privileged position. Architect Thun has thus reinforced its identity – in the dual sense of a family hotel and a mountain hotel. The Bella Vista was originally a traditional inn, a stopping point for carriages crossing the pass. It was 1875, the Stelvio was beginning to see its first tourists, and its spectacular road of endless hairpin turns (created for military purposes) attracted travelers who could thus admire the highest peak of the Austro-German Alps without being mountaineers. The one who seized this change and laid the foundations for the hotel that would be renamed “Bella Vista” was Ludwig Ortler, a name unknown to most. But the story changes when we add that he was the great-grandfather of Gustav Thöni, who entered the history of Italian and international sports as one of the greatest skiers of all time – his record includes four World Cups, countless World Championship titles, and Olympic medals, in addition to specialty World Cups. Today, it is he, along with his daughters and grandchildren, who manages the Bella Vista, and so the idea of a family hotel starts with the owners themselves: a place shaped by six generations of a family whose origins lie in this valley and this very spot. It is natural, then, that one feels a sense of warmth and welcome, a feeling of “being at home.”

In the expansion project, Matteo Thun – a long-time friend of Gustav Thöni, whom he met on the ski slopes – brings this past to life in a new light. The historic structure, with its 26 rooms, has been restored to its original colors, drawing from postcards of the 1920s and ’30s. Alongside it stands the new wing, which includes 24 new suites and a large wellness area with 550 square meters of indoor space and 5,000 square meters of outdoor areas, forming the Natur-Arena Outdoor, completely immersed in the mountains. Thun’s idea was precisely to expand the deep relationship with the context of the Stelvio National Park – a protected area, which is why it took ten years of bureaucracy before work could begin – and to create an architecture that would become an integral part of nature itself. Interpreting the distinctive ethical sensibility that accompanies the architect’s design practice, the new wing is configured as a light and organic structure, formed by materials and glass that create continuity between inside and out. The result is a characteristic “nest” structure, directly inspired by those of the eagles that soar above the Park and its glaciers. “Every space is designed as an opening towards nature, so that the true protagonist always remains the landscape,” explains architect Thun. This approach is also evident in the new suites, all oriented towards the imposing Stelvio landscape, and all characterized by large panoramic windows that frame the peaks.

What is created, however, is not just a visual experience, but a 360-degree sensory journey. Every space, every design detail, creates a dialogue with nature and its dimensions – the song of birds, the view of the peaks and their meadows, the continuous flow of the Trafoi River. Behind it all lies the idea of nature as a source of health, culminating in the new SPA and its regeneration paths. The heart of the wellness project are the four pools, true places of contemplation and immersion in the landscape: from the “Canyon” Infinity Pool, a 92-square-meter infinity pool suspended over the Trafoi Canyon, to the more intimate “Panorama” Infinity Pool, and the areas dedicated to families with a children’s pool and a baby pool. The wellness area also includes five different sauna experiences, in addition to an outdoor panoramic sauna, positioned next to a small natural lake fed by a spring that originates directly on the property. To complete the offering, there are two panoramic outdoor jacuzzis, yoga and fitness rooms, and three treatment cabins, including a wellness suite with the famous “Lavasca,” designed by Thun himself.

The new and historic structures find a point of connection through the new reception and the quintessential social space: the “Home of Gold” lounge bar, which, with its 250 square meters, represents a “piazza” for meeting and relaxation, with two large, full-height windows, diametrically opposed, that create a constant flow of light but also a natural, ever-accessible “cinema.” The name “Home of Gold” alludes to the celebratory desire that accompanies this space. Here, the career of champion Gustav Thöni is on display: hundreds of his trophies, books dedicated to him, historic images of the “Valanga Azzurra” (Blue Avalanche), and the four large crystal globes accompany visitors on a journey through space and time. It is precisely at the “blue hour,” just before sunset, that this small museum offers its magic, when the cups create sparkling effects of gold, silver, and bronze that pervade the environment. But Gustav’s story continues along the stairs, where a sequence of display cases holds dozens and dozens of memorabilia from his long sporting history. The interior design, by architect Christina Biasi-von Berg of Studio Biquadra, dialogues – just like the architecture – with the genius loci. Local and natural materials were favored: Alpine woods (Swiss pine, fir, oak), local stone, natural materials carried by the Trafoi River, and fabrics inspired by Alpine tradition. The realization of the project also primarily involved artisans from the region, thus strengthening – once again – the bond with the territory.