Conca Bella
In reality, it has always been a wine hotel, but it embraced its essence and adjusted the interior design to receive the slogan #thefirstwinehotelticino only in 2021.
The history of Conca Bella under the management of the Montereale family dates back to 1984, when Ruth and Rocco purchased the establishment, previously named Ristorante della Posta or Caferin, that had been a restaurant already since 1906. To read the inspiring history of the Hotel, click here.
It is a short text worth reading to get inspired by the family's challenges and how Ruth managed to keep the history going even after her husband's untimely death in the middle of an extensive expansion and renovation in the Hotel with three kids at home.
Conca Bella is also the name of the street where it is located - Via Concabella - in Vacallo, a few minutes away from Chiasso in the Italian part of Switzerland. A strategic location for individuals looking to explore the region. For sports lovers, biking, golfing, tennis, and hiking are a few of the region's modalities. For city explorers and shoppers, Como is only 20 minutes away with the car, Milano an hour and the well-known FoxTown Outlet in Mendrisio is within a 15minutes drive. Everything is also easily accessible with public transportation, with a bus stop just next to the entrance of the Hotel.
Personally, I would focus on discovering nature, the wineries and the beautiful little stone villages that the region offers. It reminded me a bit of a mini version of the Toscana.
After a delicious, stress-free breakfast, you spend the day strolling around cobblestone alleys, with corners to be discovered, then admiring the views of the hills while walking through the wineries. That combined with sipping wine and eating local delicacies. Be it exploring it all by foot or with the bikes - a slow-paced tourism to absorb the relaxing frequencies, immerse in the local culture and ease down from the ordinarily hectic routine.
At the end of the afternoon, visitors come back to the Hotel to sit at the terrace for an aperitif or taste different sorts of wine at the wine dispenser located on the second floor, in between rooms. The evening leads to a well-served delicious dinner (accompanied by some more wine, of course).
The refurnished rooms are super comfy, all with a wine thematic to embrace you in the local mood.
Below is a list of what Conca Bella entails:
roughly 20 comfortable rooms
a lounge where one can enjoy Flammkuchen or appetisers
a terrace (piazzeta) to sit outside and enjoy the blue sky by the church's square in front of the establishment - be it for drinks at sunset or lunch in-between activities
a wine cellar, with more than 800 different types of wine and over 4'000 bottles, where one can also do banquettes and rent it for events
a restaurant serving "carefully prepared dishes, where you can breathe in tradition, personality and history."
and a cafeteria bar, where visitors meet locals.
Every morning, locals come to the cafeteria to have their usual coffees - with or without croissants - read the News and exchange about what is currently happening in the world or the village's gossip. Occasionally you might also see wine being served at 10 am. It is not any wine, though - a cheap Barbera wine that costs only CHF 2, well-served in a ballon glass. Michele, the second generation manager, claims that they considered getting rid of those glasses, but the locals insisted that this wine be served as it always had. So they kept it. The wine, and the glasses, for the sake of traditions.
Conca Bella's exclusive house wine is produced in collaboration with the local winemaker Azienda Cormano Vini. Unfortunately, it was closed during my stay due to the region's low season, but it is something worth visiting.
A fun fact: some of the rooms in the Hotel are sponsored by other winemakers, giving you the opportunity of trying different sorts in-House.
The Hotel also conducts Bike & Wine tours, so make sure to contact them for more information ;)
All in all, it is a place to leave the worries behind and immerse in a beautiful dolce far niente - a slow-paced vacation, mixing sports, wine and good food, all accompanied by good talks, laughter and positive vibrations.
