In Sesto, on Mount Elmo, a place has just opened that we feel deeply connected to: the Reinhold Messner Haus.
It’s not a museum in the traditional sense, but rather a space for reflection, dialogue, and listening.
A personal project by Messner, created to explore themes like mountaineering, risk, tourism, and sustainability. Topics we care about – both as people and as hoteliers. The connection is also geographical: in Sesto we run the Hotel Drei Zinnen, the mountain sister hotel of the Savoy.
And then there’s the architecture: the Messner Haus was designed by Plasma Studio, the same team that redesigned the façade of our hotel here in Grado. Not just a coincidence, but a sign of a shared vision.The project is based on the transformation of the old cable car station, reimagined through a thoughtful and respectful upcycling process. Existing materials were reused, demolition kept to a minimum, and the spaces shaped to engage with the surrounding landscape. The result is quiet and minimal – yet full of meaning.
The guiding principle behind the renovation was simple: “as little as possible, as much as necessary.”
We like to think this approach to building – and thinking – applies to hospitality too. Making room for nature, for silence, for a slower gaze.
The Messner Haus doesn’t look back. It speaks to the present, with an open eye to the future. And for us, living between the sea and the mountains, it’s good to know that places like this still exist.
