Matteo Thun expands Hotel Bellavista in South Tyrol with a design-led mountain retreat

Architect Matteo Thun has completed a new wing at Hotel Bellavista in Trafoi, Italy, adding 24 suites, a lounge bar, and a wellness complex. The project, which opened in May, is set within Stelvio National Park at the foot of the Ortler massif. Thun collaborated with hotel co-owner and Olympic ski champion Gustav Thöni, drawing inspiration from the concept of a nest to create a structure that frames the landscape without interrupting it. The extension is clad in regional alpine timber—Swiss pine, fir, and oak—and connects to the original 1875 building via a new reception corridor. Interiors by Merano-based Studio Biquadra, led by Christina Biasi-von Berg, feature a lounge bar palette referencing the Valanga Azzurra ski team and suites with panoramic windows. The adults-only spa spans 550 square metres indoors and 5,000 square metres outdoors, including an infinity pool, saunas, and a Jacuzzi. Thun describes luxury in this context as subtraction—space, silence, and connection to nature.