In this very early summer, the heat has finally fallen on Lake Caldaro. After weeks of rain, the sun vibrates the surface of the emerald green water, on which a few pedal boats glide silently. On the horizon, a Laser with a streamlined hull tries to inflate its sail by taking advantage of the Ora del Garda, a local wind. The view from the balconies of the rooms of the Seehotel Ambach offers a reassuring picture.
Framed by the Mendola Pass on one side and the hillside vineyards on the other, the hotel, made up of two large interlocking semi-circular modules, resembles an immobile ocean liner that has been moored there for decades. . Its geometric lines, a subtle play of angles and curves, stand out against the perfectly mown lawn where a quartet of geese and a squad of vaguely disturbing robot-shearers move in turn, performing a remote-controlled ballet as soon as night falls. .
Despite the fifty or so customers parading in their white bathrobes at all hours of the day, to dive into the lake or enjoy a sauna at the bottom of the garden, everything is extremely calm. Only a few bursts of laughter coming from the pontoon gently disturb the tranquility… The regulars come here to enjoy a rare luxury: space.
In this 1.10 hectare park, planted with fruit trees and a magnificent weeping willow, an oasis of shade and freshness, they can laze on the multicolored sun loungers made of fishing nets – designed by Tord Boontje for Moroso – without bothering. “Dividing the total area, each of the hotel’s 32 rooms has approximately 355 square meters of outdoor space, calculates Max Maran, an affable 30-something who has run the hotel with his parents, Klaus and Manuela Maran, since 2014. Today, no one would build such a hotel. It is absolutely unprofitable! »
The Seehotel Ambach also contains a collection of remarkable pieces by designers of the Italian school: lamps by Tobia Scarpa, Achille Castiglioni or Mario Botta, Selene chairs, by Vico Magistretti, in all the rooms, but also pedestal tables by Eileen Gray or Egg armchairs, by Fritz Hansen. Playful shapes and a palette of bright colors, the interior decor deploys the seventies language of the origins. Nesting modular cubes in orange and electric blue plastic, the reception looks like an XXL Lego set, while the yellow felt benches in the lounge follow the curves of the architecture.
Another specificity of the place: to greet you, the hosts naturally tell you “hello” more often than « buongiorno “. This is because we are here in South Tyrol – or Alto Adige in Italian, the northernmost province of Italy, where bilingualism (German and Italian) is officially practiced. Mountainous territory irrigated by lakes and waterfalls located on the border of Switzerland and Austria, the province of Trentino-Alto Adige is a region today autonomous, with a tumultuous past, which has changed hands several times during history, passing, over the wars, under the bosom of the Habsburg Empire or Italy.
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