Seehotel Ambach: South Tyrolean modernism by Lake Caldaro
When this South Tyrolean hotel was named the best historic hotel in the province of Bolzano in 2014, it was only 40 years old: it was the youngest “winner” in the history of the award. Unlike competitors in the fight for this award, whose history begins, for example, in 1515, this hotel was built in 1972-1973. But, despite this age, it is not just the definition of a "historical", but even an "epoch-making" hotel that fits: after all, it is a rare monument of modernist architecture in Alto Adige.
The Seehotel Ambach was designed by the renowned Tyrolean architect Otmar Barth and soon became the “hospitality icon” of South Tyrol. This hotel, despite its not quite typical for the Alto Adige province, still follows the local traditions of respect for the landscape.
Thanks to many years of fruitful cooperation between the hotel owners and the architect, the Seehotel Ambach is also very well preserved: Otmar Barth personally supervised all changes and improvements at the request of the owners, regularly staying at this hotel for rest.
The architect Barth is especially famous for his attention to context in his projects: he himself has repeatedly characterized his architecture as "building in a landscape". The Seehotel Ambach is located in a green area on the northeastern shores of Lake Caldaro, between water, vineyards and mountains. It consists of two concrete volumes covered with white plaster, at the intersection of which there is a vestibule. Each room of the hotel overlooks the lake.
The hotel building has an incredible variety of spatial situations interacting with the landscape thanks to the regular spacing system developed by the architect. Light, environment and architecture are here combined into a single whole and create an ensemble of both strict geometry and softness.
Otmar Barth in this project was not only involved in the architecture of the building, but also in the smallest detail designed the interior of all spaces - from rooms to public areas. The hotel has preserved rare design items, selected by the architect in cooperation with the owners of the hotel, some of which have already been discontinued.
Here, for example, you can see the "Selene" chairs by Vico Magistretti, produced by Artemide in 1969. It was the first monobloc plastic chair in the history of design, it is no longer in production today, but it can be found in the collections of the world's leading museums such as MoMA in New York or the Vitra Design Museum. The Pirellone floor lamp was released by Fontana Arte in 1967: it is distinguished by an elegant purity of shape, reminiscent of the famous Pirelli skyscraper in Milan. This is not surprising: the author of both the tower and the lamp is Joe Ponti. More modern pieces include Patricia Urquiola's Tropicalia armchairs on balconies, produced in 2008 by the Moroso brand.
At the Seehotel Ambach, visitors are expected to spend most of their time contemplating the landscape, so every room, including the wonderful restaurant and the small but cozy library, is as open to nature as possible. A small bonus for those wishing to admire the architecture of the hotel from the water: Seehotel Ambach provides its guests with catamarans free of charge.
This South Tyrolean hotel is another confirmation of the highest level of local architecture. But if you want to plunge even more into the history of Alto Adige and explore the buildings of this province in more detail, then do not forget to visit the 400-year-old Manincor winery, recently reborn: it is just a stone's throw from Bart's hotel (see the recent article about the winery here).
Vigilius Mountain Resort: luxury and sustainability at 1,500 meters above sea level
Matteo Thun is one of the most renowned architects and designers in South Tyrol. If a hotel is designed by him, it always means that it will be special, individual, perfectly integrated into the landscape and environmentally friendly. The architect adheres to the principle of "not ego, but eco" in his work.
The Vigilius Mountain Resort (2001-2003), a continuation of the historic Vigiljoch Hotel, is located in the vicinity of the famous resort of Merano in San Vigilio at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level and can be reached either by cable car or on foot. Stretching from north to south, the hotel structure gently follows the contour of the slope; it has two aboveground and one underground floor. Its image gives a new interpretation to the traditional for the region construction of wood, clay and stone, and only the foundation is made of monolithic reinforced concrete. The hotel has a lounge area, a library, two restaurants (one of which is made of wood from an old mountain chalet), a three-level spa complex, a swimming pool, 41 rooms including 6 suites.
Vigilius Mountain Resort rooms face either east or west and have small terraces, floor-to-ceiling windows, and adobe walls that not only separate the bedroom area from the bathroom, but also absorb and then release heat in the winter, or give cool in summer. The green roof, which prevents overheating of the building, has been made operational (a minimalist corridor of the upper floor leads to it): from it you can admire stunning views of the surrounding area. It is no coincidence that the facade solution resembles a blinds system: this creates the required amount of shadow.
The heart of Vigilius Mountain Resort, according to the architect, is the living room (or lounge area), organized like a market square of an old Italian town with access from all sides, unexpected niches and alcoves, a fireplace in the center; the low steps, on which you can and should sit, are located at different heights and are covered with large leather cushions. In general, there is a lot of larch in the interior, the wood of which is used in flooring, wall cladding, for doors, and each time in a new way, depending on the characteristics of the surface. The design of the rooms is characterized by restraint and simplicity in the Scandinavian style and almost one hundred percent use of natural materials. Since the hotel positions itself as an ideal place for unity with nature, there are no TVs in the rooms: instead of them, it is proposed to enjoy the beautiful Tyrolean landscape in silence and breathe in the fresh mountain air (but if you still want to keep abreast of events, then the TV is, of course, will bring).
The spa area deserves a special mention, in the design of which natural stone and wood were used. It completely occupies the southern part of the hotel, and the "infinity" pool offers incredible views.
In this hotel, surrounded by old pines and larch trees, far from the noise of cities, you very quickly begin to enjoy the murmur of water in a stream, the movement of clouds across the sky, touching stones and wet grass. This is the beauty of South Tyrol's architecture - after all, it always tries to bring nature and man closer together.
